Sioux Technologies, Wellinq and Echopoint Medical Ltd. are launching a revolutionary technology to detect heart disease: iKOr. This medical diagnostic device uses glass fibres and laser light to map blood flow very accurately in the tiny blood vessels around the heart. Traditional angiograms focus on the large coronary arteries where small details are not clearly visible.
iKOr is expected to help thousands of heart patients. Especially women with heart disease will benefit substantially, as problems often arise in the tiny blood vessels that are overlooked. iKOr was recently successfully tested on the first three patients during clinical trials at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London.
Better measurement technique for heart disease
The unique feature of this diagnostic device is that it demonstrates both blood pressure and blood flow around the heart, making the tiny blood vessels more measurable compared to traditional angiograms. This makes it much easier for cardiologists to assess the health of a person's heart and determine how to treat heart disease.
Koen Smits, Senior Account Manager at Sioux Technologies: "This project clearly shows how we in the Netherlands are able to co-develop pioneering medical innovations. By implementing laser light in the human heart, this technology must meet the very highest safety requirements. This challenge makes our contribution extra special and valuable!" Nijs van der Vaart, COO Echopoint Medical adds: "The collaboration with Sioux has resulted in a user-friendly software application and electro-optical console, where blood flow and blood pressure can be easily and safely measured with just the push of a button."
