Novel app Accurately Monitors Surgical Blood Loss

An innovative smartphone app provides a fast, easy, and accurate means of estimating blood loss in surgical suction containers.

The Triton Canister app captures snapshots of surgical canisters using an iPad camera. It then sends the images to the cloud, where sophisticated algorithms estimate the hemoglobin content and the blood loss, regardless of confounding factors such as saline or irrigation fluid, ambient lighting variations, and red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis. The estimated blood loss is then transmitted back to the operating room in an encrypted manner, where it is displayed in real-time. The app can be used simultaneously with multiple canisters via a built-in QR code management system.


The Triton Canister app is the second core product in the Triton System portfolio, the first being the Triton Fluid Management System mobile platform for real-time estimation of blood loss on surgical sponges during surgery. The combination of the two apps can give clinicians a more accurate picture of surgical blood loss. The Triton Canister app is a product of Gauss Surgical (Los Altos, CA, USA) and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We have extended the Triton System's ability to give clinicians a better assessment of overall blood loss during surgery. Typically, anesthesiologists and surgeons visually guesstimate the blood loss in suction containers, which has been shown to be highly inaccurate,” said Milton McColl, MD, CEO of Gauss Surgical. “We believe that providing more accurate estimates aids in clinical decision making, particularly regarding the use of blood products. This can have a significant impact on patient safety and overall quality of care.”

Related Links:
Gauss Surgical
Link to HMI item on the Triton Fluid Management System