Cutting calibration and consumables: new cardiac tech promises big savings

As a result of this challenge, developers are moving to cut out the use of disposable elements inherent to their patient monitoring devices in hopes of streamlining operations. The UK’s Croydon Health Services National Health Service (NHS) Trust chose to go with the UK medical device manufacturer Vygon, buying up ten of its Mostcare Up haemodynamic monitors to fit out a new 22-bed intensive treatment unit (ITU).

Vygon’s Mostcare Up system is touted for its ability to determine a patient’s vital signs accurately utilising the company’s patented Pressure Recording Analytical Method (PRAM) that inherently sidesteps the need for calibration.

The company claims that the Croydon NHS Trust has been able to make savings of approximately £50,000 per year and put an end to a calibration process that typically would take up to 40 minutes of clinician time in a high-intensity setting such as an ITU.

Tim Kuhn, head of critical care nursing for Croydon University Hospital, said: “As part of our ITU investment, we formed a consultant group which agreed to trial Mostcare Up. During the trial, we noticed how easy the machine was to use – the ‘plug-and-play’ functionality and data validation without the need for consumables, meant there were clear benefits to using the technology. Once the trial ended, we bought ten devices, allowing us to continue to benefit from their ease and efficiency and provide the best care for our patients.”

In October 2024, the NHS revealed plans to pursue a “major crackdown” on waste, publishing its Design for Life Roadmap in which the health service promises to radically cut down on the amount of single use devices and consumables with the primary aim of saving millions per year.

The body found that disposable medical devices substantially contribute to the 156,000t of clinical waste that the NHS produces every year in England alone, with £10bn spent every year on disposable medical devices.

Speaking with Medical Device Network, Vygon UK product specialist Michelle Tsang said: “When you talk about systems that need calibration, you are talking about systems that all need a calibration kit. Some of these devices also have timecard systems that require clinicians to decide how long a patient will be on cardiac monitoring. These are all consumables that clinicians have to think about. However, with our monitor there is no timecard or calibration.

“We are able to get all the information we need from the arterial line alone. It can be any existing arterial line and is compatible with any transducer. We adapt to the transducer that is already in place with the patient.

“With Croydon, they were previously using systems that required calibration, which means that a nurse would need to spend around 30 to 40 minutes just to set up the machine. It can be challenging when you are trying to set up the calibration and it has to be done with precise timing. With this system, you have to spend money on lithium and sensors and calibration kits, as well as the time the nurse has to spend with the monitor.

The company is facing tough competition occupying a relatively small share of the market when compared to other giants in the bedside patient monitoring space. Research by GlobalData found that the UK-wide market for bedside multiparameter monitors is estimated to bring in revenue of more than $65m, with that figure estimated to rise to $68m by the end of 2030.

This space is largely dominated by device giants such as Koninklijke Philips and GE HealthCare Technologies. Further research by GlobalData found that across the US market, Philips is responsible for almost a third of all devices. However, failures and recalls in its other medical devices and respiratory products could leave space for uncertainty, allowing newcomers to capture a piece of the market.

GlobalData healthcare analyst Charlie Whelan elaborated that although Vygon’s claims regarding economic savings are yet to be truly tested, the time savings inherent to the device could represent a real strength for the product.

Whelan said: “No country in the world has enough nurses to meet the demand for healthcare services and if this is one thing that a critical care nurse doesn’t have to worry about, then that’s better. If it’s, one less thing that can go wrong that’s good too.

“If you are requiring a nurse to perform the calibration correctly every single day, it is an opportunity for human breakdown, because you won’t always have the same nurse every time. You might have an experienced nurse, you might have a brand-new nurse out of school, you might have all sorts of situations, so one less thing removed from the process is one less thing to go wrong.

Beyond Croydon, Vygon is piloting its devices at several UK hospital trusts ranging from London, through the Midlands and up to Scotland. The company did not comment on whether it plans to expand its pilot scheme outside of the UK, but will be hoping its offer of cost and time saving will align with the NHS’ drive to reduce waste.