TrueCath

Info

Contact Boris Ratiner
Title CEO
Tags

Description

Summary: There are over 1.2 billion peripheral IV catheters (PIVC) placed yearly, with up to a 54% first insertion and overall 90% failure rate primarily due to over-penetration of the vessel. Failure of correct placement leads to local pain, phlebitis, bruising, loss of the vein and extended hospital stays. 

The Truecath auto-catheter addresses this problem by using a mild vacuum in the flashback chamber as a mechanical sensor to detect the instant the needle tip enters the vein and automatically place the softgel catheter into the vein lumen. This occurs in 1/16 of a second, which is faster than operator reaction time, thus eliminating the possibility of the practitioner puncturing the back wall of the vessel. As the operator withdraws the introducer, the needle guard automatically advances to cover the sharp needle tip to eliminate accidental needle sticks to the clinician.  

Truecath is of similar size, shape and manufacturing cost to the currently used PIVC systems. It can also be placed with only one hand and is mostly independent of operator skill level. Importantly, Truecath will prevent the most common cause of missed first attempt PIVC placement, which is penetration through the back wall of the vessel and catheter failure. This key advantage will decrease the multitude of complications involved with PIVC placement, improve patient comfort and reduce healthcare costs.
 
Need: Successful first-attempt insertions rates for peripheral IV catheters are less than 50% in regular patients and only 20% for difficult patients. This leads to patient discomfort, nurse anxiety, bruising, phlebitis, loss of vein for future use and extended hospital stays. Several techniques have been tried, including ultrasound guidance, transillumination, guide wire devices and special IV teams, but none have been successful in significantly improving first-attempt insertions because they do not address the primary cause of failure, which is over-penetration through the back wall of the vein. Truecath is the first device that can address this issue in an economical and easily adopted manner.
 
Value: Successful first-attempt insertion rates for peripheral IV catheters are less than 50% in regular patients and only 20% for difficult patients. This leads to patient discomfort, nurse anxiety, bruising, phlebitis and loss vein for future use. 
Outside of retractable needles for safety, there have been no significant innovations in the core angiocatheter technology in the last 50 years.

By increasing the first attempt insertion rates to 95% Truecath will quickly be adopted by providers in hospitals, emergency, pediatric and difficult patient settings. The ability to place the catheter in the dark, one-handed or in moving vehicles will lead to quick adoption in military and emergency settings.