The DripAssist from Shift Labs automates the measurement and delivery rate of intravenous (IV) drugs, simply and cost-effectively. The device itself does not require expensive or customized equipment to use, provides an intuitive interface to reduce training costs and time, and is powered by a single AA battery. Medical personnel utilizing the DripAssist may set or monitor IV dosages precisely in terms of volume (mL) or drops per unit of time (hour, minute), or in terms of total fluid volume. With around a $350 price tag, the DripAssist virtually eliminates the risk of fluid overload at a cost that makes it accessible to those in developing nations (where the vast majority of infusions are un-monitored) or regions ravaged by natural disasters (where power may be unavailable).
A previous iteration of the DripAssist was first covered in 2012 as the “Drip Clip,” as it was actively pursuing Indiegogo funding to support manufacturing. In the time since, the DripAssist design has been vastly improved and the device itself has been launched in veterinary markets (see the operator instructions and feature demonstration accompanying veterinary DripAssists in the video below). Moving forward, the goal of Shift Labs is to receive FDA clearance and release the DripAssist for clinical use later this calendar year.
Shift Labs, meanwhile, after raising significant seed funding and spending time in Y Combinator, has diversified their efforts. In addition to the DripAssist, the team is in various stages of development on an as-of-yet unannounced series of oxygen and temperature-control devices.
Link: Shift Labs
Source: Fortune Healthcare…