Sanovas Launches Infection Control Business to Address Expanding Threat of HAIs

Sanovas, Inc., a life science asset holding company and medical technology accelerator, announces the launch of its wholly-owned subsidiary, SteriView, Inc. and the SteriView Instrument Inspection and Infection Control System.

SteriView's technology introduces a new, front line solution in the fight against Hospital- Acquired Infections (HAI's) by enabling the direct visual inspection and cleaning of hard to reach spaces within endoscopes and medical instruments. SteriView's timing to market is being met by calls from Congress, the FDA, and the Healthcare Industry to advance the standard of care in the sterilization of medical instrumentation. The company's technology further enables healthcare providers the ability to maintain compliance with infection control standards established by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
  
"Direct field experience, plus the weight of formally conducted studies, point to an undiscovered territory of deficiencies inside medical and surgical instrumentation, not adequately addressed by current reprocessing methods and their control procedures.  The ability to see inside these instruments represents a leap forward - it is the mission of SteriView Inc. to bring that ability to clinicians worldwide, to make a positive impact through reductions in procedures related mobility and mortality," said Mike Humason, vice president of clinical affairs and education at Sanovas.

"Healthcare-acquired infections impact millions of people, worldwide. The SteriView™ Instrument Inspection and Infection Control System, featuring the SteriCam™ line of Inspection Cameras, represents the next inventive step in the Infection Control process and comprises a most critical asset in the fight against healthcare-acquired, device-related infections," said Larry Gerrans, Sanovas' CEO.  "These infections kill over 75,000 people every year in the U.S. and are estimated to cost $20 to $35 billion in excess healthcare costs and up to $35 billion in lost productivity, annually, in the United States alone. SteriView will positively impact the lives of patients throughout the U.S. and across the world."

Sanovas placed more than $1 million of SteriView™ Instrument Inspection and Infection Control Systems during its pilot phase. The technology has been featured in various technical articles and outcomes research and has recently completed a major outcomes study with an acclaimed medical institution of higher learning. The publication is expected to be published in the spring of 2017.

Healthcare-Acquired Infections, particularly those associated with antibiotic resistant organisms or "superbugs," are on the rise. A number of these infections have been linked to gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, where even proper cleaning and reprocessing of the endoscopes left residual bacteria that was then transferred between patients (Humphries et al, 2015; 53(10)). The most serious of the outbreaks have been Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) incidents at UCLA and 40 other U.S. hospitals, with duodenoscopes as the disease vectors. These incidents have required extended hospitalization and resulted in an extraordinary number of patient deaths.

Any medical instrument or endoscope has the potential to carry bacteria from patient to patient; however, the duodenoscope is unique in its complexity, with a number of moving parts and internal channels that are exposed to high levels of contamination. Duodenoscopes are also used for procedures that contact sterile areas of the body, to obtain a biopsy specimen. Residual bio-matter and material wear inside these channels can harbor bacterial colonies, leading to cross-patient exposures and outbreaks.

Source: Sanovas, Inc.