Device Prevents Complications in Vascular Access Procedures

A new device can detect puncture bleeding during vascular access procedures, sounding an alarm once 30 cc of blood enter the perivascular space.

The Saranas system allows for the rapid detection of blood accumulating into the retroperitoneal space, a complication caused by a puncture of the vascular access; due to the location of the wound, there are no outward signs to the clinician until physiological signs of a significant amount of blood loss occur. The system works by tracking changes in bio-impedance; the changes are detected in real time, which allow the operator to apply pressure or ease anticoagulation for a short time to allow it to clot and stop the bleeding.


Among the advantages of the system is integration with hardware currently used in the surgical suite, resulting in reduced complexity of the procedure, and the need for only minimal training of the medical staff. The Saranas system is a product of Saranas (Houston, TX, USA); the prototype has been tested in a number of large animal studies, and was been presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) national meeting.

“The number one complication associated with the over 19 million interventional medical procedures performed annually is internal bleeding complications,” said Christopher Arevalos, CTO of Saranas. “Our solution detects these complications without any change in the standard operating procedure and early enough that clinicians can take action that prevents the associated loss of life and money.”

In the United States alone, over 4.7 million interventional cardiology procedures involving vascular access occurred, complemented by an additional 13.5 million central venous and arterial lines placed each year. These figures are increasing steadily with the increase in the target age demographic, and the invention of new procedures and devices employing vascular access. Bleeding complications presently occur in 7% of emergent and 4% of elective percutaneous coronary interventions.

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