SBIR Phase II: A portable rapid cycling compression device to prevent blood clots

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to reduce the incidence of blood clots in individuals outside a clinical care setting. Venous blood clots are a common event in individuals who recently been discharged from a hospital or clinical care setting, with an estimated 500,000 cases annually in the US alone. Venous clots cause leg pain and swelling, loss of mobility, re-hospitalization, and even death in some cases. This project develops a novel device, specifically for use at home, to increase venous blood flow in low mobility users to prevent blood clot formation. This project improves patient outcomes and reduces the estimated $10 B in associated costs. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project leverages molecular studies that identified a key genetic pathway that regulates blood clot formation in veins. This protective pathway is activated by specific patterns of venous blood flow stimulated by typical activity and mobility. However, in individuals with low mobility this pathway can be lost resulting in an increased risk for venous blood clot formation. Because stimulation of this pathway offers powerful protection against clot formation, this project proposes a novel device specifically designed to recreate the patterns of venous flow that activate the protective genetic pathway. This pattern may be successfully created in immobile individuals with external compressions applied to the user’s calf. This project will focus on optimizing the device size and weight while maximizing patient comfort and ease of use.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.