Gastric Dilatation

MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In December 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) formally approved a new quality measure developed by the Quality Team at North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) for the Anesthesia Business Group (ABG) Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR). This measure, which is eligible for data collection and submission for the 2025 payment year, aims to reduce pulmonary aspiration in high-risk gastric distension patients who undergo anesthesia, including symptomatic patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonist medications. As a leader in anesthesia care and patient safety, NAPA is at the forefront of improvements related to patient safety challenges such as this. Through its NAPA Anesthesia Patient Safety Institute (NAPSI)—an AHRQ-certified component Patient Safety Organization—NAPA developed and implemented a performance improvement measure to reduce the incidence of pulmonary aspiration in high-risk patients based on evidence-based strategies. This measure was successfully implemented in June 2024 throughout clinical sites serviced by NAPA anesthesia clinicians. The NAPA Quality team then collaborated with the ABG QCDR, administered by Graphium Health, to submit this measure to CMS for inclusion in the 2025 Quality Payment Program (QPP) MIPS track as "ABG 45: Aspiration Prevention in Patients with Gastric Distension." Rafael Cartagena, MD, NAPA CEO, emphasized NAPA leadership in advancing anesthesia safety. "The inclusion of NAPA's quality improvement measure in the CMS QPP MIPS program exemplifies our commitment to patient safety and innovation," he said. "Through collaboration with the ABG, Graphium Health, CMS, and our clinical partners, we continue to set the standard for reducing harm in anesthesia care. NAPA is proud to be an innovator in the anesthesia community." "Multi-society Clinical Practice Guidance for the Safe Use of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in the Perioperative Period" was jointly released in October 2024 by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the International Society of Perioperative Care of Patients with Obesity, and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. The intent was guidance for perioperative clinicians related to the care and management of patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy for diabetic blood sugar control and weight loss. Their guidance arose from the known delayed gastric emptying effects of these medications, which can result in residual gastric contents on the day of the procedure, despite adherence to traditional fasting regimens. Numerous case reports have been published regarding pulmonary aspiration of retained gastric contents in this patient population undergoing procedural sedation and anesthesia. Consistent with the multi-society guidance on GLP-1 receptor agonists, the new MIPS measure, ABG 45, specifically targets interventions for symptomatic gastric distension patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists, as well as other high-risk gastric distension patients such as those with bowel obstruction, ileus, or incarcerated hernias. This new CMS measure is the latest addition to a series of six clinical quality measures developed by NAPA in collaboration with the ABG QCDR. By pioneering these initiatives, NAPA reinforces its role as a leader in improving perioperative care and supporting its clinicians with tools to deliver exceptional outcomes. About North American Partners in Anesthesia As a clinician-led organization, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) is redefining healthcare, delivering unsurpassed excellence to its partners and patients every day. NAPA has grown to become the nation's single-specialty leader in anesthesia. Our nearly 5,000 clinicians serve nearly 2 million patients annually at nearly 400 healthcare facilities in 23 states. For more information, please visit NAPAanesthesia.com. SOURCE NAPA Management Services Corporation WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

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