Starting IVs and drawing blood for testing has always been a sticking point for hospitals. The failure rate for venipuncture persists at a stubborn rate of 28 to 32 percent, despite a shift to teams of trained IV specialists at big-city medical centers. A patented solution for the problem has been developed by Clarion dentist James Rutkowski, who received FDA registration last week for a device called the Veinstay.
The Clarion Research Group headed by Rutkowski won a first place award for its business plan from the Ben Franklin Transformation Program and the Clarion University Small Business Development Center (SBDC). His Clarion Research Group has been refining the disposable plastic device and is finalizing plans for a clinical trial at Clarion Hospital.
The small pronged device helps clinicians locate, accentuate and stabilize the vein, increasing the predictability of getting the “stick” the first time. Rutkowksi and partner Tim Merrow created a prototype in a dental lab, then turned to the Bucknell University School of Engineering when they needed help in creating multiple samples.
Bucknell got involved with CAD/CAM technology, says Rutkowski, while Clarion continued to provide business advice to the start-up. Ongoing refinements to the basic Veinstay prototype include a similar device that lights up the treatment area. That version may or may not be disposable, says Rutkowski.
Rutkowskis Clarion Research Group will use $10,000 share of its $25,000 business plan prize to work with the Plastics Technology Center at Penn State Erie on a more sophisticated product design, with the goal of eventually manufacturing the devices in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Source: Jim Rutkowski, Clarion Research Group
Writer: Chris O’Toole