Royal Stoke University Hospital and Sky Medical Technology Ltd Win Award for Use of Ground Breaking Blood Clot Prevention Technology

Acute Stroke unit recognised for best use of technology at national awards

HIGH WYCOMBE, England, Nov. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A partnership between the Royal Stoke University Hospital, part of the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, and a UK industry-leading medical devices company have been rewarded for its use of an innovative bioelectronic technology to prevent life-threatening blood clots in acute stroke patients - winning in the category: Best use of technology (acute care), at the Building Better Healthcare Awards.

The collaboration, a partnership between the Royal Stoke and UK-based Sky Medical Technology (Sky), investigated though a prospective study of two care pathways, the  use of the company's geko™ device in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE), blood clots, in high-risk patients at the hospital's leading Stroke Unit.

VTE is a major risk to hospitalised patients, with an estimated 40,000 deaths in England annually, 62 per cent of which are preventable given proper management – with acute stroke patients being a high at-risk population due to reduced mobility.

The geko™ device (approved by NICE), is the size of a wristwatch and worn at the knee. The daily disposable device gently stimulates the common peroneal nerve activating the calf and foot muscle pumps, resulting in increased blood flow in the deep veins of the calf.

The comparative study assessed 1,000 acute stroke patients for VTE incidence at 90 days post discharge and reported 0% VTE in patients wearing the geko™ device alone, along with good patient tolerance, compared to VTE in patients prescribed intermittent pneumatic compression devices (IPC) at 2.4% or pharmacological prophylaxis at 0.8%. 

The investigators, led by Mr. Indira Natarajan, consultant stroke physician and clinical director for neurosciences and Professor Christine Roffe, determined that 30% of patients are contraindicated or became intolerant to IPC (discomfort or dislike to IPC). It is to this unmet need cohort that the geko™ device was fitted, reporting a zero VTE incidence and good patient tolerance.

Commenting on behalf of the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Mr Indira Natarajan said: "We are thrilled to win this award, and our thanks go to the Building Better Healthcare team for recognising our use of innovative technology to address this important unmet need. I would also like to thank Sky.

The geko™ device marks a significant change to our nursing practice when other VTE prevention strategies are contraindicated or impractical, and provides an option where previously patients would have had no other intervention available to them.

Also commenting, Bernard Ross, CEO Sky Medical Technology said: "Thank you Wardray Premise, sponsor of the award category and the BBH team for recognising and celebrating excellence in technology deployment. The 1,000 patient data set has not only changed clinical practice nationally - over 27 NHS Hospitals are actively working to embed the geko™ device within their acute stroke care pathways - the data also helped to secure FDA 510(k) clearance, making the geko™ the first device of its kind to be cleared for VTE prevention across all patients, including non-surgical patients in the USA. This tremendous success demonstrates the huge potential of industry and NHS partnering, and it is to the Royal Stoke team that we owe our sincere thanks. Without their commitment, passion and willingness to embrace innovation, none of this would be possible."

The award win comes as Sky Medical Technology also celebrate a recent shortlisting at the prestigious Spectator Economic Disruptor Awards and a place on the Liverpool City Region Tech Climbers 2019 list.

About University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

Serving around three million people across Staffordshire and North Wales, UHNM is one of the largest hospital trusts in the country. Its 10,000 strong workforce provides the full range of emergency treatment, planned operations and medical care from its two sites at County Hospital, Stafford and Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent.

The Trust also provides specialised services for three million people in a wider area, including neighbouring counties and North Wales. Its specialised services include cancer diagnosis and treatment, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, renal and dialysis services, neonatal intensive care, paediatric intensive care, trauma, respiratory conditions, spinal surgery, upper gastro-intestinal surgery, complex orthopaedic surgery, laparoscopic surgery and the management of liver conditions.

Royal Stoke University Hospital, one of our two sites, is a large acute teaching hospital on the border of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire. The other site is County Hospital in Stafford. They are one of the largest Trusts and have one of the busiest emergency departments in the country.

About Firstkind and Sky Medical Technology Ltd

Sky Medical Technology, the parent of Firstkind Ltd, is a highly innovative UK based medical devices company that has developed a ground-breaking bioelectronic medicine therapy platform, OnPulse®. The company range of products are tailored to the needs of different medical application areas selling both direct and through strategic partnerships or distributors in each major clinical area. Clinical areas of interest include DVT prevention, oedema treatment and prevention and wound healing. The goal in each clinical area is to improve clinical outcomes and patient care whilst saving health system resources.

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Media contact

Sue Davenport
Sky Medical Technology Ltd (parent company of Firstkind Ltd)
Hawk House
Peregrine Business Park
Gomm Road
High Wycombe
Bucks
UK
07771667170
www.gekodevices.com