Low birth weight premature infants are likely to develop anemia in the first month of their lives. This situation occurs as a result of a frequent blood withdraws they are subject to during their hospitalization period taken for diagnostic purposes. From the blood drawn, the plasma is sent to the lab for tests, while the red blood cells are thrown away. As a result, these children require foreign blood transfusions to help them overcome blood deficiency. The Erythrosave device separates the two components as a bed-side procedure and allows re-transfusing of the red blood cells back to the patient’s system, reducing by 64% the amount of foreign blood units transfusions required today (Clinical trial, Ballin A et al Acta Pediatrica 2008).
The second market to use our unique device is the PRP (platelet rich plasma). Autologous plasma enriched with activated platelets enhances wound healing, repair of injured tissues and regeneration of organs like bone, cartilage, muscle and skin. PRP is used successfully in many medical situations, diseases and operations: sport medicine, chest surgery, general orthopedics, otolaryngology, dental and maxillofacial medicine, plastic surgery and cosmetics. Erythrosave device provides a simple method for obtaining platelet rich plasma using an all-in-one disposable device. The Erythrosave device is designed to be used as
– Syringe: To withdraw the patient's blood at the start, and to inject PRP at the end
– Cuvette: To hold the blood sample for centrifugation
– Separator: To isolate the platelet rich plasma
– Activator: To activate the platelet rich plasma
Existing platelet concentrate systems are:
- Complicated to use, often require a technician or a specially trained person to operate the device.
- Require a large number of steps from whole blood extraction to platelet rich plasma injection.
- At risk for contaminating the PRP due to the need to transfer the blood and later the plasma concentrate from one disposable to another throughout the PRP preparation process.
- Expensive. In the US, the average selling price for a platelet concentrate system is believed to be in the range of $5,000 to $10,000. The disposable kit price per procedure is approximately $450.
Erythrosave's Advantages
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All-in-one device: one device for withdrawing blood, centrifugation, red blood cells and PRP separation, and re-injection the blood/plasma.
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Reduced risk of contamination: by using a single device, Erythrosave eliminates exposure during blood transfer, and therefore reduces the risk of contamination.
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Easy to use: a single device combined with a unique design allows a dramatic reduction of number of steps required to complete the procedure.
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The Use a standard centrifuge: the Erythrosave device is used with a standard centrifuge. That eliminates the need to purchase a costly platelet concentrate system and allows re-use of existing equipment where applicable.
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Cost: Erythrosave device will be sold for a lower price than the existing solution today in the market.
US Market Size
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) can be used to stimulate and accelerate healing in a wide range of medical applications.
Today, PRP is primarily used in the spinal and orthopedic space, most likely due to the expense and complexity of existing PRP systems.
According to Millennium Research Group, the spinal and orthopedic market for platelet rich plasma disposables priced at $450 per procedure is expected to grow 7.4% from $36 million in 2006 to about $50 million in the year 2011.
However, this estimate does not reflect the full potential of PRP.
Erythrosave believes its simple, easy-to-use, low-risk of infection and low-cost device can significantly expand the use of PRP in orthopedic surgery and beyond (in other applications).
Note: The markets in the adjacent table represent some, but not all applications of PRP.
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