HART Biologicals has been awarded significant funding to develop procedures which will help reduce the risk of preventable death or injury following hip, knee and pelvic surgery.
In a collaborative partnership with James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, the business was awarded a £120,000 research grant from the Academic Health Service Network (AHSN) for the North East.
The funding will enable Hart Biologicals to further develop ROTEM equipment to reduce the risk of preventable death or injury by venous thrombo embolism (VTE) in patients following total hip, knee replacements and pelvic fractures.
It is expected the project will help to reduce long-term morbidity by identifying changes in blood clotting profiles during surgery and offer cost savings to the NHS through better patient management.
Alby Pattison, Managing Director of Hart Biologicals, said: “This is significant funding which will help us to enhance our good relationships and share our expertise with the orthopaedic team at James Cook Hospital.
“For any business involved in the research and development of products and services for the healthcare sector, it is essential to build on these partnerships to ensure that we are sharing best practice and meeting the requirements and challenges faced by the sector.
“We are extremely grateful to the Academic Health Service Network for agreeing to fund the research. It is just one of the many projects that the Network supports to identify, adopt and disseminate innovative healthcare products and services across the NHS.”
ROTEM (Rotating Thrombo-Elastometry) utilises the testing of whole blood samples to investigate the mechanics of blood formation.
It allows healthcare professionals to visualise the clot formation, as well as its magnitude and strength and thereby assess and administer appropriate treatments.
The procedure is typically used in areas of acute blood loss such as major surgery and trauma to help the surgical team transfuse the most appropriate blood products to stop the bleeding.
The Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC) is dedicated to improving healthcare, driving wealth creation and promoting research participation across the region.
By working in partnership NHS Foundation Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Universities SMEs, charities and Local Authorities, the organisation ensures that areas of best practice and innovation are identified and disseminated, at pace and scale, regionally and nationally.
For more information about the work of the Academic Health Science Network, visit http://www.ahsn-nenc.org.uk/
