Date: Jan 14, 2016 Source: PR Newswire (
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LOS ANGELES and MANCHESTER, England, Jan. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BBI, LLC, a developer of innovative sensor-based diagnostic products, today announced that it has won the Frost & Sullivan European New Product Innovation Award for Pressure Ulcer Diagnostics for 2015 for the SEM Scanner, BBI's "revolutionary" hand-held device for detecting early pressure ulcers.
BBI was independently evaluated by Frost & Sullivan's global team of analysts and consultants using their 360-Degree research methodology. "The SEM Scanner was selected for the Award for providing a unique solution to a large and urgent unmet need. The product received high scores for reliability, quality, design, customer experience, and value," said Sowmya Rajagopalan, research manager, transformational health: advanced medical technologies, Frost & Sullivan. [Link to full report]
"The SEM Scanner is the first practical device to reveal pressure-induced tissue damage happening beneath the skin's surface before visual signs of damage or skin ulceration occur. It does this by using advanced biometric sensors that measure sub-epidermal moisture. The technology has the potential to change the way we prevent skin damage by detecting damage so much earlier than existing practices. And nurses at the bedside can use it with accuracy. These characteristics make the SEM Scanner a powerful and realistic tool for prevention of pressure ulcers," said Dr. Barbara Bates-Jensen, a professor of nursing and medicine at the UCLA School of Nursing and David Geffen School of Medicine who was involved in the SEM Scanner's initial design.
In announcing the Award, Frost & Sullivan noted, "This revolutionary device has been found to accurately identify local tissue edema related to inflammatory changes that occur up to 10 days before damage is visible on the skin's surface." By detecting pressure ulcers early, clinicians can take preventive action before skin ulceration.
Frost & Sullivan examined the SEM Scanner's performance in the United Kingdom, where BBI launched the device in 2014 upon earning CE Mark approval.
"Tremendous support for the adoption of the SEM Scanner has arisen, particularly from nurses and tissue viability nurses who see this scanner as a 'game changer' in the diagnosis of pressure ulcers," said Rajagopalan.
In the UK, NHS acute care hospital wards utilizing the SEM Scanner reduced pressure ulcer occurrence to zero and recorded a savings of £50,000 per month as part of BBI's Pressure Ulcer Reduction Program, according to findings reported in Nursing Times.
"Innovation is [BBI's] key to success and the company consistently ensures maximum return on investment to its customers by improving workflows and enhancing the quality of care for patients," concluded Rajagopalan.
"We're honored to receive this prestigious Award from Frost & Sullivan. BBI is driven by innovation and motivated by the impact we are having on patients. We have been able to shorten the innovation timeline and incorporate nurse and patient needs early in the development cycle by leveraging an interdisciplinary approach and partnership with UCLA and the Wireless Health Institute," said BBI CEO Martin Burns.
"The SEM Scanner was developed by synthesizing advanced engineering principles with the practical needs of nurses," said Dr. William Kaiser, a professor of electrical engineering at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA Wireless Health Institute. "The device actually traces its roots to the NASA space program," adds Dr. Kaiser, who formerly worked as an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "The concept of sensors that make the invisible visible began with the development of seismometers for the Mars Exploration Rover landing craft that can help scientists envision the planet' interior structure by detecting seismic waves generated by deep earthquakes. The Wireless Health Institute adapted that concept and worked with Dr. Barbara Bates-Jensen to apply it to the needs of nurses, so that they can visualize unseen inflammation and treat it early to prevent pressure ulcers from developing."
BBI is working with the FDA to make the SEM Scanner available in the US market in 2016.
About Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers are a common medical problem that can lead to pain, disfigurement, infection and death. Also known as bedsores, pressure sores or decubitis ulcers, pressure ulcers are an area of localized damage to the skin and underlying tissue -- usually around an area of bony prominence, such as the sacrum, coccyx, heels, and hips -- that results from pressure involving shear and/or friction. Across Europe and the United States, it is estimated that 18%-25% of patients in both acute care and long-term care settings suffer from pressure ulcers, disproportionately impacting the elderly and patients with limited mobility. There are some 2.5 million pressure ulcer cases annually in the European Union, with nearly 500,000 of those cases in the United Kingdom: a 2.1bn problem to the NHS. In the U.S., some 2.5 million Americans develop pressure ulcers annually in acute care facilities, and 60,000 Americans die annually from pressure ulcer complications such as cancer, sepsis, cellulitis, and MRSA.
About BBI
BBI, LLC, focuses on developing solutions for wound care, orthopedic care and real-time data capture, analytics and reporting. Leveraging BBI's passive sensor technology, the company's portable devices produce actionable data for evidence-based assessments. Innovation at BBI is realized through collaboration between the company's research and development and clinical teams, where every team member is an expert in his or her respective field. BBI applies rigorous scientific, technical and clinical standards to drive product development and address unmet and urgent clinical needs. BBI is based in Los Angeles and maintains a European office in Manchester, UK.
For additional information, visit www.bruinbiometrics.com. Follow BBI on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bruinbiometrics.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.
