Cheetah Medical
Optimizing Patient Fluid Management

Critically ill and hemodynamically unstable patients are often supplied fluids intravenously to stabilize their blood pressure, ensure organ perfusion, and improve cardiac performance. IV fluids offer significant benefits, though studies have increasingly shown that a one size fits all approach to fluid management is not optimal—in fact, improper fluid management can lead to serious consequences, even death. While over 80 percent of hospitalized patients receive IV fluids, only approximately 50 percent of hemodynamically unstable patients will actually respond to the fluid by increasing cardiac output and improving perfusion of vital organs.

Clinicians have always wanted to know if additional IV fluid will improve perfusion. To aid clinicians and physicians in treading the narrow line between supplying beneficial IV fluids and overloading patients with the same, Cheetah Medical developed a fluid management technology that looks beyond the obvious signs and assesses the effect of fluid on patients in critical situations. For helping clinicians manage their patient’s fluid status, the company has devised hemodynamic monitoring systems that leverage a proprietary algorithm to calculate hemodynamic parameters for assessing fluid responsiveness. This assessment enables medical professionals to understand a patient’s unique volume requirements to maintain optimal fluid volume and perfusing critical organs. This is especially critical for septic patients.

Sepsis is a global health priority and the leading cause of death in the US. The average cost per hospital stay for sepsis is $18,600, which is double the average cost per stay across all other conditions. Recently, CMS has updated the SEP-1 bundle, a quality measure stipulating a protocol for the treatment of severe sepsis or septic shock patients.

The non-invasive nature of our FDA-approved device sets it apart from other players in the market by measuring the flow of blood directly from the heart

Hospitals are now ranked on their compliance levels to this measure, which are publicly reported on the CMS Hospital Compare Website. Cheetah Medical helps hospitals improve SEP-1 compliance, as well as clinical and financial outcomes in sepsis treatment. A clinical study in severe sepsis and septic shock patients from University of Kansas Medical Center, published in Journal of Critical Care in 2017, demonstrated that optimized fluid management can lead to improved patient outcomes and save over $14,000 per treated patient. Patients in this study who received stroke volume guided fluid resuscitation, guided by Cheetah’s technology, had lower ICU length of stay, and reduced usage of mechanical ventilation and acute dialysis versus the control group.

Cheetah Medical’s technology provides accurate information about the effect of IV fluids on patients in the ICU, emergency departments, RRTs, and operating theatres. It comprises four disposable sensors applied to the patient’s thorax, two each above and below the heart, and plugged in a monitor to display a patient’s hemodynamic profile. The monitor displays information on cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume, and other key parameters based on a dynamic assessment of the patient using a passive leg raise or fluid bolus.

Once the patient is identified as fluid-responsive or non-responsive, the future course of treatment can be planned. “The non-invasive nature of our FDA-approved device sets it apart from other players in the market by measuring the flow of blood directly at the thorax,” explains Shane Cooke, Chief Strategy Officer of Cheetah Medical. In addition, the disposable sensors can be positioned either on the front or back of the patient, as per convenience. The device’s newly launched customizable user interface can accommodate different patient populations, care settings, and situations.

The Cheetah Medical device is used in over 500 hospitals in the U.S. and 30 countries across the globe. “We aim to offer all patients, especially those in danger of sepsis, with optimal fluid management, in our journey to become the standard of care for fluid management in hospitals,” concludes Cooke.