Arcos Medical won FDA clearance for its Burn Navigator, a medical device that monitors fluid therapy in burn victims.
This device is designed for serious burn victims who need fluid resuscitation, and it has already been successfully used on hundreds of patients, according to the company. The Burn Navigator works by measuring both fluid input and urine output to gauge the patient’s need for more or less fluid treatment.
The technology was co-developed by the U.S. Army and the University of Texas. Arcos Medical, a Houston, TX-based company, has been given $1.6 million from the Defense Dept. The company is developing a version of the Burn Navigator that can be used in flight.
"This technology is the first of its kind algorithm based decision assist system for use in managing fluid resuscitation of the severely injured burn patient. We consider this a milestone, but even more than that, a peek into what the future has in store for burn trauma management," said Suzanne Schwartz at the American Burn Association annual meeting., according to a release. Schwartz is director of the FDA’s emergency preparedness and medical countermeasures department.
The U.S. Army is currently backing several medical device technology developments. The army piloted a mobile health initiative that leverages the power of big data to identify soldiers at risk for musculoskeletal injury and also partnered with AllOne Health in a program that sends text to wounded warriors.
