Hi y’all,
Just saw this and thought it would be cool if every dialysis patient had one (they’re pricey now, but sometimes things like this get cheaper over time)…
FDA Approves Sontra Needle-Free Device
August 19, 2004 09:27 AM EDT
FRANKLIN, Mass. - A needle-free device that allows faster and easier applications of local pain relief will go on sale next month, its manufacturer Sontra Medical Corp. announced.
Called SonoPrep, the $2,000 device was approved Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For now, the device will be used to quickly anesthetize skin with topical lidocaine cream - in five minutes compared to the current one hour - to prepare patients, especially children, for painful procedures, including needle pricks and he insertion of catheters and IVs.
The device uses ultrasound to more rapidly administer the lidocaine, which is used for temporary pain relief.
Company officials said Wednesday they are developing other applications, including fast administration of pain medications to cancer patients, dispensing flu vaccines and continuous monitoring of diabetics’ blood sugar levels.
The small, battery-powered device applies low-frequency ultrasonic energy to the skin for 15 seconds. The ultrasound temporarily rearranges lipids in the skin, opening channels that let fluids be delivered or extracted. After about 24 hours, the skin returns to normal.
Sontra was founded in 1996 by Langer and MIT colleagues Joseph Kost and Daniel Blankschtein, with former MIT graduate student Samir Mitragotri, to commercialize the SonoPrep device, the company’s first commercial product.
The company filed its application with the FDA in March.