–ClearFlow Hosts Panel of Thought Leaders in Montreal–

Montreal, Canada — June 16, 2016 — A panel of distinguished heart surgeons from leading cardiac centers shared their experiences and strategies to optimize patient recovery after cardiothoracic surgery at a panel discussion in Montreal yesterday. Of emphasis was the ongoing challenge of high complication rates for patients who have inadequate postoperative blood evacuation, known as Retained Blood Syndrome (RBS), and how this impacts the development of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac surgery.

ClearFlow, Inc., a medical device company based in Anaheim, California, hosted the evening Symposium in Montreal. ClearFlow is the manufacturer of the innovative PleuraFlow^® Active Clearance Technology^® System – a first of its kind technology that enables caregivers to proactively keep chest drainage tubes clear of blood clots and prevent retained blood after heart surgery.

In the meeting, the panel consisting of some of the world’s leading heart surgeons discussed their unique perspectives on RBS, and shared new data focused on post-op complication rates, unveiling new insight into the level of significance that retained blood poses after cardiac surgery.

Simon Maltais, MD, Ph.D., a heart surgeon from the Mayo Clinic, discussed the incidence and consequences of retained blood complications after ventricular assist device (VAD) placement, and his research showing how these complications can be reduced with active clearance of chest drains in early recovery in the ICU.  Spencer Melby, MD, a heart surgeon from the Washington University School of Medicine discussed his investigative work regarding the biologic mechanisms of how retained blood triggers POAF in susceptible individuals.  Louis Perrault, MD, Ph.D., FRSCS, a cardiac surgeon from the Montreal Heart Institute, presented clinical data showing a marked reduction in POAF with Active Clearance Technology after heart surgery.  Cardiothoracic Surgeon Philippe Demers, MD, M.Sc., FRCSC, also of the Montreal Heart Institute, described an ongoing prospective randomized clinical trial exploring the impact of active clearance of chest drains on POAF.

“The link between retained blood and POAF is an important subject for many heart surgery programs focused on improving outcomes,” said panel moderator and ClearFlow Founder and Chairman, Edward Boyle, MD. “POAF occurs in approximately a third of all patients undergoing heart surgery, and this increases hospital resource utilization and patient costs.  Efforts to reduce POAF have traditionally been attempted with systemic drugs that have an unfavorable side effect profile at a critical time when patients recover from heart surgery and poorly tolerate side effects. Keeping chest tubes clear of clot and preventing retained blood can reduce POAF. Understanding why this works at the biologic mechanistic level, is an exciting subject of current studies.”

“This was a great session with leading heart surgeons from some of the world’s top programs exchanging ideas on how active clearance of chest drains can reduce complications such as POAF,” said ClearFlow President & CEO, Paul Molloy. “It’s clear that inadequate blood evacuation due to chest tube clogging levels a huge burden on patients recovering from heart surgery as well as a significant expense to hospitals and payers. ClearFlow offers a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Program to help hospitals determine the rates of retained blood interventions and POAF in their institutions and to help keep their patient’s chest tubes open during the critical first 24 hours after cardiothoracic surgery. This CQI Program is already being implemented at a number of top centers seeking to reproduce these results and realize the clinical and costs savings of preventing these complications.”

Mr. Molloy added, “Interest among hospital systems looking at additional ways to improve their outcomes has increased considerably now that payment models in the United States are shifting from fee-for-service to outcomes-based payments as part of the MACRA Act of 2015.”

The PleuraFlow Active Clearance Technology System is approved for use in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and other countries in Asia and the Middle East.

About ClearFlow, Inc.

ClearFlow, Inc. is an Anaheim, CA based medical device company that has developed a patented active blood and fluid evacuation system to speed recovery, reduce complications and lower healthcare costs related to medical tube obstruction. The company has been awarded several prestigious awards, including the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons Techno-College Innovation Award for worldwide innovation that has the potential to change the standard of care in heart and lung surgery, and the Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions Award, among others.

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 PleuraFlow and Active Clearance Technology are registered trademarks of ClearFlow, Inc.

Media Contact:
Paul Williams
310/569-0023
paul@medialinecommunications.com