First Patient Cases Completed Using Triton Fluid Management from Gauss Surgical
Los Altos, Calif. (PRWEB) August 26, 2014 -- Gauss Surgical today announced that the first patient cases were completed using the Triton Fluid Management System™ at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Triton System eliminates the need for visual estimation by providing accurate estimates of blood loss on surgical sponges during surgery.
The maternal death rate in the U.S. is creeping upward — to more than double what it was 25 years ago. National statistics suggest that approximately 8 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are caused by post-partum hemorrhage. The most recent Practice Bulletin from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists places the estimate at 140,000 maternal deaths per year or 1 woman every 4 minutes. For this reason, many of the leading obstetrics and gynecology organizations – such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) – have initiatives underway to help clinicians better recognize and respond to postpartum hemorrhage.
In an effort to better predict the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, doctors at Magee-Women’s Hospital of UPMC are utilizing Triton to estimate blood loss during cesarean section surgeries in place of traditional assessments, such as sponge weighing, which are subjective and can be inaccurate. Sponge weighing in maternity cases can be confounded by additional fluids such as amniotic fluid and saline, and studies have suggested that actual blood loss is consistently underestimated using such methods.
“One of the biggest issues in postpartum hemorrhage is unrecognized blood loss,” said Jonathan H. Waters, M.D. Chief of Anesthesiology, Magee-Womens Hospital of the UPMC. “We believe that use of the Triton Fluid Management System could be a game changer in allowing us to recognize blood loss and intervene sooner, thereby improving outcomes for the many mothers we serve each year.”
Dr. Waters and his research team at Magee have published two papers on the Triton System and served as beta testers of the device.
Nearly 11,000 babies are born each year at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, a world-class center for both women’s health and comprehensive medical-surgical care. The hospital has ranked among the top 12 hospitals in the nation for gynecological care and is one of the first National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“The first patient cases at UPMC represent the beginning of the commercial phase of our company’s evolution,” said Milton B. McColl, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Gauss Surgical. “We’re excited to see the benefits of the technology realized in a clinical setting and we believe this is just the beginning of the impact that Triton can have on improving the quality of patient care.
Triton, the world’s first and only mobile platform for real-time estimation of surgical blood loss on surgical sponges, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in May 2014.
Triton uses the iPad camera to scan surgical sponges that are covered in blood and sophisticated cloud-based computer vision algorithms to process an estimate of the amount of blood contained on that surface, which it then sends back to the OR in real-time. The system is fully HIPAA compliant, requires minimal training, and seamlessly integrates into existing surgical workflow.
About Gauss Surgical
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Los Altos, Calif. Gauss is developing a mobile platform for accurate, real-time monitoring of surgical blood loss. The system uses sophisticated cloud-based computer vision algorithms to estimate blood loss. This first-of-kind system gives operating room personnel the means to estimate blood loss on sponges in real time. For more information, go to http://www.gausssurgical.com.
Stephanie Tomei, PR for Gauss Surgical, http://www.gausssurgical.com, +1 4082341279, [email protected]
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