Gastric Dilatation

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alimetry has raised an oversubscribed US $18m A2 financing round to commercialise its wearable gut health monitoring device, capitalizing on increased adoption by a growing cohort of US hospitals. This adoption is driven by Alimetry receiving its fourth FDA clearance, the establishment of a CPT III reimbursement code, and the completion of over 30 clinical studies. Alimetry's flagship AI powered product delivers accurate analysis and diagnosis of gut disorders that have been proven difficult to solve using conventional diagnostics and testing. The oversubscribed round was led by GD1 (Global from Day One), with participation from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) GI Opportunity Fund, Olympus Innovation Ventures, IceHouse Ventures, and follow on from existing investors. Nearly one in 10 people suffer from chronic gut symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to chronic indigestion, nausea and vomiting. The current diagnostic journey is slow and poor for patients, causing them to suffer through this period with a reduced quality of life. Alimetry is reducing the cost, time, and complexity of gut health diagnostics by providing rapid, upfront clarity and diagnosis that allows more effective and definitive treatment. "Alimetry was designed to introduce clarity into a field that has involved lengthy, uncertain diagnostic journeys. It gives clinicians the tools they need to quickly and correctly diagnose patients so that we can move on from trial and error - and guesswork - into clarity of care and personalised medicine," explains Alimetry chief executive Dr. Greg O'Grady, who is also a Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland. "Alimery turns months or even years of testing into improved clarity and safer, more accessible, less invasive care. They've demonstrated the power of technology to usher in a new era of tech-enabled diagnostics - in this case the undeniable connection of gut health to patient health," comments Vignesh Kumar, GD1 Co-Managing Partner. How it works Like the heart, the gut produces electrical current but these are 100 times weaker than the heart. Alimetry's highly sensitive wearable device detects these electrical currents from the skin's surface (called Body Surface Gastric Mapping), similar to an ultra-high resolution electrocardiogram (ECG). Recordings of these signals are taken while patients eat and digest a meal. At the same time, patients log their symptoms into an app. The device sends the patient's gastric electrophysiology to the cloud where advanced, AI-powered analysis is performed using smart algorithms based on thousands of diverse and representative test cases used to train and improve benchmarking. The resulting auto-generated Gastric Alimetry Report provides clinicians with objective, data-driven insights to inform their interpretation and aid the diagnosis and personalised treatment of gastric disorders. "The AGA GI Opportunity Fund is excited to support Alimetry and its breakthrough platform that will improve the patient experience by reducing both the time and cost of diagnosing GI symptoms," said Michael L. Kochman, MD, AGAF, MASGE, Wilmott Family Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Center for Endoscopic Innovation, Research and Training, Gastroenterology Division, University of Pennsylvania Health System; Fund Manager and Advisor, AGA GI Opportunity Fund. Making sense of the gut-brain connection "Gastric ailments have a myriad of causes - arising from diets, diseases, and the vagus nerve (physiological causes) to things like stress and the gut-brain axis. Having a multimodal platform that assesses all of these things at the same time is a game-changer for clinicians. The Alimetry digital health and wearable platform includes physiology tracking and symptom tracking through gut-brain health questionnaires built into the accompanying app, allowing clinicians to turn a previously confusing picture into a specific diagnosis that paves the way for personalised medicine," explains Chris Andrews, Chief Medical Officer and Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Calgary. Early uptake following FDA approval The device and platform have been approved for clinical use by the United States Food and Drug Administration to be rolled out to the US market and since controlled market release in 2022. Over 40 hospitals and clinics worldwide have signed on to use the device. The American Medical Association has established a Category III Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) that allows data collection for widespread usage and approval for reimbursement which means the product can be used in hospitals as well as private clinics. Alimetry also complies with stringent privacy regulations, including HIPAA and GDPR. "Alimetry is transforming how we approach patients with various gastric disorders. It's difficult not to get over-excited about this", states physician Bu' Hayee, Professor of Gastroenterology at King's College London. Journey to commercialisation Founded by Dr O'Grady and Dr Armen Gharibans in 2019, Alimetry's research began at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute. The company's R&D team is headquartered in New Zealand; while its consumables are manufactured in the US where a newly expanded commercial function has been set up to focus on commercialisation, powered by its raise. "In addition to commercialising our debut product, our team is also focusing on 'what's next' in terms of using our proprietary tech to keep on pushing the limits of what's possible in industry. We'll be introducing new features and new elements of our platform as well as expanding into using Alimetry beyond the gut - such as paediatrics. The technology is also suited for use in other organs such as the colon, ultimately, helping us reach even patients with accurate diagnostics with the potential to radically transform their health," concludes Dr O'Grady. (ENDS) About Alimetry Alimetry was founded in 2019 with the goal of making gut health accessible to everyone. The company was founded on a background of world-leading science in gastrointestinal diseases. With offices in the United States and New Zealand, Alimetry is dedicated to improving the lives of patients by delivering innovative medical solutions to advance GI diagnostics and enable targeted therapies. SOURCE Alimetry WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

SimX was awarded an R&D contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop virtual reality training simulations that will help prepare pararescuemen, rescue officers and veterinarians to care for wounded canines.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) program at SimX, Inc. has been awarded an R&D contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop a novel VR medical simulation training capability focused on emergency prehospital canine care. This new program seeks to assist in training the DOD's elite medical personnel on the latest canine prehospital care standards. Continue Reading The VRMSS allows clinical trainees to refine their skills in training scenarios which aim to model realistic psychosocial and medical environments. Depicted are a variety of canine 3D avatars that can be used within the VRMSS. The program will initially focus on adapting SimX's existing Virtual Reality Medical Simulation System (VRMSS) to include canine-specific components as well as unique medical scenarios outlined by the existing canine emergency curriculum. These will be developed in collaboration with and tested by Pararescuemen, Rescue Officers, and Veterinarians of the USAF 24th Special Operations Wing. "The vision of the VALOR program is to adapt VR medical simulation training to enable high-quality, repeatable, and accessible clinical training for any scenario," said Karthik V Sarma, PhD, VALOR Principal Investigator and SimX CTO. "We're honored to have the opportunity to adapt the VRMSS to ensure that our nation's veterinarians and emergency medical services personnel are ready to provide canine companions with the highest level of care." The program's goal is to develop a novel VR training capability that will enable faster, more frequent, and more cost-effective simulation training for canine emergency care, enabling better medical outcomes for injured canines. The developed capabilities will also be made available for commercial use. The planned initial capabilities cover the spectrum of circulatory, respiratory, and field surgical interventions with a planned curriculum including scenarios such as Acute Head Trauma and Gastric Dilatation - Volvulus. "The mission impact of this project will be increased overall medical capability for canine emergency care. These capabilities are critical for ensuring the highest level of medical care provided by our forces," said Col. John R. Dorsch, DO, USAF (ret.), former USAF Pararescue Medical Director and Wing Surgeon of the 24th Special Operations Wing.SimX created an industry-leading virtual reality medical simulation platform () that is used around the world and by top institutions including Mayo Clinic, Stanford, Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania, the US Air Force, and many others. It allows trainees to work together in multiplayer virtual reality cases either together in the same space or from the safety of their own homes. SimX developed a unique system that allows for a "holodeck-like" experience without dropdown menus or virtual selections. You talk and interact with virtual patients the same way that you would in real life. The scalable SimX Scenario System allows for rapid development of new training materials and cases, and instant deployment to all learners. Learn more about the SimX System at and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in 21.1, the Air Force has begun offering 'The Open Topic' SBIR/STTR program that is faster, leaner and open to a broader range of innovations. Media Contact: Michael Werner 6502315383 [email protected] SOURCE SimX

Unbaked Yeast Dough Can Be Deadly to Dogs and Cats MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pippa, a playful pup from Knoxville, Tenn., has a history of retrieving things from her family's counter tops and trash. Last Thanksgiving, that hunger and curiosity almost ruined the family's celebration when the then two-year-old Golden Retriever had a severe reaction after consuming bread dough that was rising in the kitchen. Continue Reading "It was a very expensive Thanksgiving Day at the dog ER, but she's back to full health now," said Pippa's owner. Tweet this Pippa, a Golden Retriever from Knoxville, Tenn., had a lot to be thankful for after surviving a potentially deadly reaction to eating bread dough. "I had left a dozen unbaked bread rolls on the kitchen counter to rise, covering them with a towel," said Rebecca Collins, Pippa's pet parent. "When I went to put them in the oven, I found that half of them were gone. I knew I didn't eat them, but it took me awhile to figure out what happened. It didn't occur to me Pippa would be interested in bread dough." "I noticed that Pippa was acting sleepy," Collins continued, "which is very unusual for her. Normally she's running around when company is over. Once I figured out that she must have eaten the rolls, I called Pet Poison Helpline. We discussed what and how much Pippa had eaten, and they instructed me to take her to the veterinary hospital." "Unbaked bread dough that contains yeast can be dangerous when ingested by dogs and cats," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline. "When ingested, the unbaked bread dough expands in the warm, moist environment of the stomach and releases carbon dioxide gas, which can result in a bloated or distended stomach. The carbon dioxide gas is what makes bread rise. Although it is less common, this can progress to twisting of the stomach, also known as gastric-dilatation volvulus (GDV) or bloat. Signs of bloat or GDV include vomiting, non-productive retching, a distended stomach, an elevated heart rate, weakness, collapse and death." "Potentially even more concerning, when the yeast use sugars in the unbaked dough (a process called fermentation), they produce ethanol," added Dr. Schmid. "Ethanol from the fermenting yeast is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and results in alcohol poisoning. Ingestion of alcohol can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar, blood pressure and body temperature. Severely intoxicated animals can potentially experience seizures and respiratory failure." When Pippa arrived at Animal Emergency and Specialty Center of Knoxville, the hospital's medical team was already in communication with the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline. Since it had been more than five hours since Pippa had eaten the rolls, they recommended against inducing vomiting, as it could cause more damage. Her heartrate was elevated, her abdomen was distended on deep palpitation and imaging showed her stomach was distended and 90% of the lumen was filled with potential dough material. She was placed on IV fluids and was given ice and cold water to help counteract the rising process. Rather than inducing emesis, the medical team decided to wait for her to pass the dough naturally. If Pippa had not been able to pass the blockage on her own, she may have required surgery. She was monitored closely overnight with aggressive supportive care and was released the next day. "Luckily, it didn't come to surgery," added Collins. "It was a very expensive Thanksgiving Day at the dog ER, but she's back to full health now." Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered. About Pet Poison Helpline Pet Poison Helpline, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $75 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at . Contact: Dr. Renee Schmid Pet Poison Helpline (952) 806-3803 [email protected] SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline