Share this article: Blood transfusions are the most commonly billed hospital inpatient procedure, and about 20-60% of them are unnecessary. That is bad for patients and those trying to contain healthcare costs because blood transfusions not only increase patients’ risk of mortality by 88%, they also cost as much as $1,180 per unit. Why are there so many unnecessary blood transfusions? The methods available for measuring blood loss are inaccurate. In fact, many surgeons rely on eyeball estimations to calculate blood loss. Others use the gravimetric method, which is performed by weighing the soaked sponges and subtracting their known dry weight. The gravimetric method’s accuracy is unreliable because other fluids that may be absorbed in the sponge, such as saline irrigation, ascites, and amniotic fluid also add to the weight. Fortunately, Gauss Surgical has developed Triton, an iPad application that accurately calculates blood loss during surgery. Using Triton, surgeons can snap pictures of blood-soaked sponges and send them to the cloud server. There, the images are analyzed using an imaging processing algorithm that estimates the Hemoglobin mass loss and sends it back to the OR in less than 10 seconds. Source: Gauss Surgical Studies have shown that the Triton system is more accurate in calculating blood loss than eyeball estimations and the gravimetric method. The Triton algorithm even filters out those additional fluids that compromise the gravimetric method. Last month, Triton received FDA approval, which Milton B. McColl, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Gauss Surgical called a milestone in a company press release. “FDA approval marks a significant milestone for the company and brings a truly novel product into the surgical environment. The Triton Fluid Management System has the potential to improve the quality of patient care and drive significant savings to hospitals through better utilization of blood products and reduced length of stay.” For more information on Triton, check out the Gauss Surgical website.
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