Hemodynamic monitoring technology company Edwards Lifesciences Corp. announced the introduction of its Edwards PediaSat oximetry catheter, the first real-time, continuous ScvO2 monitoring device designed specifically for children.
This new central venous catheter uses fiber optics to monitor and identify potentially life-threatening changes in oxygen saturation of venous blood in critically ill children. This advanced technology was previously only available for adults. It is even more important for children, since they typically do not demonstrate the same warning signs of potentially fatal issues and can destabilize much faster than adults.
Until now, clinicians had to rely on manual, intermittent blood sampling to monitor a child’s oxygenation status in a critical care setting. Intermittent blood sampling does not provide the same wealth of information as the PediaSat oximetry catheter, and incurs the risks of multiple blood draws, infection and increased potential for transfusions.
The company says there are thousands of critically ill children (from newborn to 16 years old) that can benefit from the PediaSat oximetry catheter, including children with congenital heart disease, complex cardiac conditions, sepsis and septic shock, trauma and brain injuries, pulmonary disease, transplants, hematology/oncology patients and those with other high-risk conditions.