A better way to detect bedsores?
Carnegie Mellon University graduate’s device might be able to solve longstanding medical problem
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
What astonished Sanna Gaspard 11 years ago when she first learned about bedsores as a Carnegie Mellon University student was how widespread the problem was, and that bedsore-related deaths were not at all unusual.
At the time, she was a doctoral student majoring in biomedical engineering, and the topic was raised in a class dealing with physical rehabilitation.
“I was stunned by how many people are affected each year,” said Ms. Gaspard, 35. “And nobody cared.”
Friction is a factor, but pressure sores are mostly caused by immobility. Nutrition plays a role, too, but pressure from the patient’s bodyweight or even the weight of an arm or leg can restrict blood flow, starting a downward spiral of tissue damage.
The most severe bedsore — stage four — invades every level of tissue to expose bone, tendon and muscle. Prevention is key: periodic repositioning of the patient to keep them from forming has become standard practice at health care institutions.
Bedsores have been around at least since the ancient Egyptians, where they have been found on mummies more than 5,000 years old. They are also common.
In hospitals, the incidence ranges between 0.4 percent and 38 percent; the incidence in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes ranges between 2.2 percent and 23.9 percent, according to a 2008 nursing text titled Patient Safety and Quality: An EvidenceBased Handbook for Nurses.
The problem took center stage in 2013 when Medicare began penalizing hospitals over patients who develop bedsores and other medical conditions considered preventable.
The penalties in government reimbursement created an incentive for hospitals to do better — while also opening a market for a better
the sore progresses much faster,” said Mr. Przybycien, whose father died from bedsore complications. “It’s a huge problem. These things are miserable.”
Ms. Gaspard, a native of the eastern Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, founded Rubitection Inc. in 2010 and has received $350,000 in grant funding for her hand-held, battery operated tool, which measures skin temperature, consistency and other factors that indicate skin breakdown.
Rubitection, which has offices in CMU’s Project Olympus center in Oakland, has two full-time employees and several parttime consultants.
Ms. Gaspard says the tool has worked well in the lab and she’s confident it will work in clinical settings, so she’s recruiting long-term care facilities where she can prove its effectiveness. Such clinical trials will be needed for Food and Drug Administration approval, which is required before the device is marketed.
Rubitection recently got a boost when Ms. Gaspard took first place in the AlphaLab Gear National Hardware Cup Mid-Atlantic Regional, which was held at Bakery Square in Larimer. She received a check for $3,000 plus a shot at a $50,000 prize in the national finals in April.
Still, big challenges await, including an anticipated Series A fundraising round next year when she plans to approach angel investors. Knowing the enormity of the problem has only steeled her resolve, she said.
“I said to myself, I don’t know how I’m going to sell this, but I know it’s needed,” Ms. Gaspard said. “It can have a huge impact.”