Device Licensed From THI
to Control Bleeding Complications
Wins Innovation Prize

 A Houston Technology Center
2013 Goradia Innovation Prize First Place   

Houston, Texas (October 18, 2013)  – A company founded  to promote new technology designed to help prevent costly internal bleeding complications associated with some common medical procedures, and licensed from the Texas Heart Institute (THI), is one of two companies awarded First Place in the competition for the Houston Technology Center's (HTC) prestigious 2013 Goradia Innovation Prize. 

During its 2013 Innovation Conference and Showcase, the Houston Technology Center (HTC), in collaboration with Opportunity Houston, awarded nearly $150,000 in prize money to individual finalists and early-stage companies from the Texas Gulf Coast region that have yet to largely commercialize their innovations. The Goradia winners are selected based on their discovery's commercial potential, a sound business plan, potential to contribute to local job growth, and likelihood of business success in the long run. Saranas, Inc. was awarded $30,000.  

Saranas, Inc. was founded by its president, Dr. Mehdi Razavi, Director of Electrophysiology Clinical Research for the Texas Heart Institute, and its chief technology officer, Alex Arevalos, a Rice University doctoral candidate and National Science Foundation scholar. Dr. Razavi and Mr. Arevalos are among the technology's inventors, and Saranas has licensed this technology, including rights under two issued patents. The concept is based on an "introducer sheath" with embedded sensors that is connected to a real-time monitor so that doctors can immediately tell if their patient is experiencing internal bleeding complications.  

More than 19 million patients a year in the U.S. undergo a variety of medical procedures requiring access to their blood vessels. These include cardiac procedures, kidney dialysis, chemotherapy, and many others. For many possible reasons, including that the initial needle insertion sometimes punctures the back wall of the blood vessel, these medical procedures have been documented to experience a significant bleeding complication in 4% to 18% of the cases. These complications represent only those  patients whose bleeding has been so severe as to require blood transfusion, and lesser bleeding also occurs in such patients. 

In many cases, these complications go unfixed because they are undetectable at the time of the procedure, but become very clinically important shortly afterward. Studies have shown that such vascular access bleeding complications can lead to worse patient outcomes, longer hospital stays, and/or to additional and more costly medical tests and procedures to detect and correct the bleeding problems. 

"Undetected internal bleeding during any procedure requiring access to blood vessels is the leading complication, but if detected in real time it can be controlled quite easily," said Dr. Razavi. "This new device functions as the canary in the coal mine, letting doctors know that there is a problem that needs fixing before it is too late." 

More about the Goradia Prize: BioNews Texas

More about Saranas: Saranas.com
 

Director of Public Affairs
Texas Heart Institute
Frank Michel  ♦  832-355-9510  ♦  fmichel@texasheart.org 

For THI media profile, see Public Affairs.