Here’s another interesting technology spotted by MassDevice at the MassMEDIC 11th Annual Medtech Investors Conference. Solace Therapeutics (Framingham, Mass.) has developed a device, essentially a small, lightweight cushion (“about the size of a quarter”), that once inserted into the bladder can absorb some of the intraabdominal pressure increases, hence thought to reduce leakages in patients suffering from stress incontinence, overactive bladder (OAB), male voiding dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), etc. The device is currently undergoing an FDA IDE approved clinical trial, and according to MassDevice , the company has received European CE Mark of approval to market the Solace Intravesical System on the continent.
The reduction in tissue elasticity, sometimes referred to as compliance, can result in significant and rapid increases in pressure within the bladder. Solace’s technology adds compliance to the bladder, reducing these rapid pressure changes.
Solace’s first product is an investigational non-surgical alternative to involuntary urinary leakage. The product is a small, lightweight device (about the size of a quarter) that floats within the urinary bladder. The balloon is designed to eliminate or reduce involuntary urinary leakage. It acts as a “shock absorber” to reduce the temporary pressure changes in the bladder that cause urinary leakage.
The Solace Balloon procedure is performed in the physician’s office. No fasting, medication or preparation is required before the procedure. The physician places the Solace Balloon into the bladder through the urethra using a soft, tube-like catheter. Pressure reduction is immediate.
MassDevice: Solace Therapeutics wins CE Mark for female incontinence device…
Press release: Solace Therapeutics, Inc. Announces CE Mark Approval…
Product page: Solace Balloon…