EchoNous said today it won FDA 510(k) clearance for its EchoNous Vein ultrasound device intended to improve peripheral IV catheter placements.
The Seattle-based company said its EchoNous Vein system is designed to provide real-time, clear images at depths from one to five centimeters for visualizing superficial and deeper veins.
“EchoNous Vein’s simple on-screen controls allows clinicians using ultrasound to clearly identify veins in the center of the display, helping to not just locate veins, but to evaluate their health and quality prior to peripheral IV placement. As clinicians we know that IV insertion selecting a healthy vein for catheter placement can help to reduce the chance of post insertional complications. To have a tool specifically designed to easily select veins and guide catheter placement is extremely valuable as we’re always looking to improve the patient experience,” Picc Excellence CEO Nancy Moureau said in a press release.
EchoNous said it plans to integrate the EchoNous Vein with the company’s existing Uscan intelligent medical tool to form the EchoNous platform, and to converge the products under its Signostics brand under the EchoNous moniker.
“Time is critical, especially when patients need an infusion or antibiotic treatment, and finding the right vein can be challenging. We designed the EchoNous Vein to provide nurses with rapid, clear images of veins to directly improve patient care, satisfaction and HCAHPS scores. We wanted to create an easy-to-use tool that would help to reduce failed sticks, as with each failure comes a much higher risk of vessel trauma or infections which can lead to longer stays in hospital and higher medical costs. The Signostics brand served as our entry point into the U.S. healthcare market, centered on the success of our AI-driven bladder volume measurement tool which combines machine learning with highly miniaturized ultrasound,” EchoNous CEO Kevin Goodwin said in a press release.
Last September, Private equity giant KKR (NYSE:KKR) put another $35 million into EchoNous, the parent company of Signostics, for the second time in as many years.