Israeli firm tests contact-free diagnostic tool for dialysis patients

The use of automated, machine-based solutions in healthcare has become a more prominent issue in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A boy lies in bed at Hemodialysis Center in Al-Thawra hospital in Sanaa, Yemen September 13, 2018. (photo credit: MOHAMED AL-SAYAGHI/REUTERS)
A boy lies in bed at Hemodialysis Center in Al-Thawra hospital in Sanaa, Yemen September 13, 2018.
(photo credit: MOHAMED AL-SAYAGHI/REUTERS)
Israeli firm PatenSee has launched the first human trial of its innovative contact-free surveillance tool to detect fistula stenosis, the narrowing of a certain blood vessel, in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
The system will be integrated into the dialysis center, and used in the waiting room with no interruptions to workflow and no intervention by medical staff.
The use of automated, machine-based solutions in healthcare has become a more prominent issue in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, finding an easy, reliable and contact-free early detection tool is essential for proper hemodialysis care.
“The clinical data we collect will be the first of its kind and will provide a critical step towards a reliable contact-free early detection tool for fistula stenosis,” trial leader and director of Rabin Medical Center's Institute for Nephrology and Hypertension Prof. Benaya Rozen-Zvi said in a statement.
“Keeping the fistula open is a major clinical need, and early detection of stenosis allows for both simpler treatment and better prognosis for the patient," he said. "The non-invasive, contactless nature of PatenSee’s system adds another important benefit for both in-patient settings and homecare in the future. The ability to assess patients effectively at a distance has become particularly important for both patients and clinicians during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The trial initiation is a significant milestone for PatenSee,” company CEO Dr. Gal Goshen explained.
“We are excited to complete all bench testing required to bring the system to the clinical stage and look forward to providing a reliable early detection system for fistula stenosis that can save lives, reduce suffering and address a challenge currently costing payers and providers millions of dollars every year,” he said.