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Millions of joint replacements are performed every year. Unfortunately,
more than 50,000 patients in USA alone have their prosthetic joints fail due to
infection, costing the healthcare system billions of dollars every year. Infection
onset happens in days, and most patients don’t even realize they have a problem
because they are unable to distinguish the pain of the surgery from infection. By
the time symptoms present it is often too late to treat with antibiotics, leading to invasive and unreliable surgeries.
The Philadelphia-based startup Synotrac is developing an implantable sensor that
actively detects infection after joint replacement surgery and wirelessly communicates
and alerts the patient and their physician through the Synotrac smartphone app
in real-time. Activated and operated using the app, measurements are automatically
taken at regular intervals and securely transmitted via Bluetooth to the
patient’s phone. The recorded data analyze the body’s immune response and is
automatically plotted and compared with other measurements taken to give a
dynamic picture of the joint’s healing process. It is further stored directly
in the patient’s electronic health record, giving the patient’s surgeon and
primary care physician the ability to track the healing progress over time and
intervene immediately in the case of an infection.
The device, made entirely from biocompatible components and sealed with
protective coating, is installed intraoperatively during joint replacement, adjacent
to the synovial cavity, ensuring no additional surgery is required. The batteries
of the device will last for the initial postoperative period, up to 6 months post
surgery, when the patient is at the highest risk for infection. The startup is,
however, working on a future solution where the phone will charge the device as
it is taking measurements, so it will work indefinitely.
Currently, patients are tested with a combination of blood tests,
x-rays and bacterial culture if general symptoms of an infection is developed. However,
x-rays and blood tests are prone to false negatives, and cultures can take
several days. And since it is often too late to treat infections with
antibiotics by the time symptoms present, the current diagnostic options are
unacceptable. Synotrac’s innovative technology help detect infection early, and
enable treatment with antibiotics rather than invasive, costly revision
surgeries. The following app communicate with both patients and physicians to
not only enable less invasive and costly treatment options, but to minimize the
need for postoperative appointments, significantly reducing healthcare costs. Most
importantly, Synotrac can save implants, prevent revision surgery, allowing
patients to resume normal activities faster and improve quality of life.
The technology has been extensively tested with in vitro models and Synotrac
is in the process of obtaining FDA clearance, as well as preparing for their
first in vivo studies. The startup is Venture for America alumni-founded, and
won UBS Venture Catalyst Award in 2016. They have also been part of the
DreamIt accelerator, and have so far raised $250,000 in pre-seed funding.
