The Dragons’ Den-style competition returned on the final day of CX 2024 during the Innovation Showcase programme, introducing next-generation technology to delegates in attendance. “You have made our job as Dragons very difficult,” the judges said, as they commended the congratulated the excellent line-up of entrants.
Taking a “new stance” this year, the panel of physician-innovators chose to split the £1,000 prize winnings between two worthy winners—Jan Heyligers (Tilburg, Netherlands) for ARCUS, an augmented reality software that offers 3D insights into patient anatomy and device positioning, and Bart Steensma (Utrecht, Netherlands), for their portable radiofrequency (RF) coil to measure cardiac output.
Heyligers, one of the founders of ARCUS, told CX 2024 that this software runs on smart lenses—using as an example the HoloLens 2 from Microsoft—and recognises the surface of a patient without the use of markers. “That’s very unique,” the presenter remarked, going on to note that this means the technology can be used in the sterile field.
He continued that ARCUS is a platform technology for multiple interventions, noting that it already has marker recognition for Gore’s endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) stent, and “offers improved 3D insight into stent graft position”.
Commenting finally on the benefits of this technology, Heyligers noted that ARCUS has “a high potential in saving operating room time and therefore money”.
Steensma, presenting his innovation, described a portable RF coil that can provide “instantaneous” cardiac output. Currently, methods for measuring output require a skilled specialist and can be invasive when performed using a catheter, Steensma explained.
Their technology uses RF sensing through a lightweight antenna attached to a wearable belt and a recording device. To date, Steensma and his team have seen in vivo porcine results which demonstrate RF sensitivity to haemodynamic parameters using their technology.
“Our RF sensor enables cardio-pulmonary diagnostic capabilities in low complexity care settings,” Steensma detailed. “The technology has the potential to be a new modality in cardiology,” he stated, expanding that several further applications in heart failure, intraprocedural haemodynamic monitoring and dialysis monitoring can be achieved with the device.
