Delivering the Future of
Portable,
Safe,
and Cost Effective
Perioperative Patient Warming
FDA cleared, non-invasive, fluid-based patient warming system to maintain normothermia without the risk of forced-air contamination.
FEATURES
Maintains Normothermia
Maintaining a patient’s temperature (Normothermia) during surgery has been found to improve patient outcomes, shorten patient stays in hospitals, and reduce the rate of surgical site infections.
Inventory Management
Universal adult sleeve reduces SKU’s – allowing for more efficient supply chain management and reduced carrying costs.
Risk Management
No blowing hot air or exhaust fans. Closed system during surgery does not disrupt operating room airflow and reduces the risk of burns.
Perioperative Warming
Quick connect hose enables patients to move from pre-op to OR to PACU with a single warming sleeve.
Infection Control
No HEPA filters to maintain and exchange. Easy to clean umbilical.
Investigational
Research and Products
Advanced Pain Management
Globally, migraines affect over 1 billion people each year with women being 3 times more likely than men to suffer from them. Adjusted for age, migraines are the third cause of years lived with a disability (YLD). Multiple drugs are in clinical use to treat migraines, however such drugs, on average, only provide a ~50% reduction in the number of attack days and many have counter indications and severe side effects, especially in pregnant women.
AVAcore is leveraging decades of research into pain management to transform both device-based and combinational therapies for management of migraines and actue pain care. Currently under development, our system is based on a novel mechanism of action in the pain cascade affecting migraines and could be self-administered by the patient at home. By partnering with leading pharma companies, AVAcore anticipates a revolution in clinical and at-home pain management technology.
Cleveland Clinic - Vienna General Clinical Study N=71
Ruetzler K, et. al. Forced-air and a novel patient-warming system (vitalHEAT vH2) comparably maintain normothermia during open abdominal surgery. Anesth Analg. 2011 Mar;112(3):608-14.
Tampa General Clinical Study N=43
Karlnoski, R. et. al. Intraoperative Warming with vitalHEAT during Open Abdominal Surgery. ASA abstracts, 2010. A086.
Clinical Trials
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FAQs
Q: Why is a warming device needed during surgery?
A: Maintaining a patient’s temperature (Normothermia) during surgery has been found to improve patient outcomes, shorten patient stays in hospitals, and reduce the rate of surgical site infections. Hypothermia in a patient can lead to severe complications and extend the healing process, in some cases requiring a longer patient stay. Similarly, maintaining patient normothermia prior to and post-surgery generally improves patient well-being and the general experience in the hospital.
Q: In what ways can a patient be warmed during surgery?
A: The three most common forms of patient warming today are the application of pre-warmed blankets (not possible in the OR but commonly used in Pre-Op and the PACU), external electric or water perfusion pads heating pads either underneath or on top of the patient, and the forced air warming (FAW) system that utilizes heated air pumped from a fan-driven base unit, normally on the floor of the OR. All of these systems rely on externally warming the skin, muscle and adipose tissue by pushing a thermal load that to reach the patient’s body core. The warmUP™ places a thermal load on the hand under a mild vacuum directly heating palmar blood flow which is pumped back to the heart thus warming the body core. Another more invasive method is to pre-warm IV fluids prior to administration to the patient. This can be necessary in some procedures especially where there is severe fluid loss and replacement.
Q: What is the difference between Forced Air Warming (FAW) and the warmUP™?
A: FAW is generated by a fan system that blows ambient air through a filter from a base unit typically located on the floor of the OR. In some cases, the fan unit is attached to a stand and elevated off the floor. In both cases, it draws in ambient air from the OR, heats it and pushes it through a hose to a disposable “blanket” which is draped over the patient. It has been alleged in a Federal lawsuit that the heated air of a popular FAW system can create a hot air convection that disturbs laminar airflow in the OR potentially moving pathogens into the sterile field. Note that this litigation is ongoing and has not been adjudicated.
The warmUP™ has no fans and uses a water based system thus no moving air and waste heat for the clinical staff.