A Digital Publication for the Practicing Medical Specialist, Industry Executive & Investor

Abilitech Medical Launches Assist, Designed to Help People with Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis and Spinal Cord Injury

Abilitech Medical Assist

Abilitech Medical Assist facilitates independent control of the arms by supporting and assisting both the shoulder and elbow for people with minimal strength. Software customizes the spring tension to lift objects such as a fork, phone, or water bottle, supporting items that weigh up to 12 ounces.

Those living with the limitations of upper-arm weakness and their caregivers can visit the Abilitech Medical website to schedule a confidential assessment to learn if the device can increase their independence and be referred to an Abilitech-trained clinic for a device fitting.

Abilitech assistive devices are designed to bring life-changing benefits to people with arm weakness:

  • Physical independence – Increases independence by assisting with activities such as eating, drinking, and using a computer.
  • Social independence – Increases the ability to more fully engage with others and participate in social events.
  • Economic benefits – May help decrease the reliance on caregivers and avoid or delay the need for a skilled nursing home — both services can be extremely expensive and are challenged by shrinking employee pools. Personal care assistants cost an average of $28,000 per year and assisted living costs can be up to $250,000 per year. In some cases, people using the Assist may even be able to return to work or stay in the workforce longer.

The Assist is the first in Abilitech’s future suite of products, which includes a powered handgrip device and a fully robotic voice-controlled arm-hand combination assistive device.

“We’ve worked with leading clinicians across the U.S.,” said Angie Conley, who founded Abilitech Medical in 2016 after time at Medtronic. “Equally as important, every week we work with people, their clinicians, and caregivers to get user feedback. This includes input from an engineer on our team who lives with a spinal cord injury.” Direct patient experience has led to optimal comfort, style, and weight of the device.

Abilitech is conducting clinical trials for the Assist at the University of Minnesota and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Other organizations partnering with Abilitech to bring the product to market include Houston Methodist, Texas Children’s Hospital, HealthPartners, and Allina Health Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute.

“We’ve accumulated so many compelling stories that illustrate the patient need,” said Conley, who cites Dr. Hanry Samir, a cardiac anesthesiologist and critical care intensivist who lost his ability to work and perform simple functions after a stroke. Dr. Samir shared important feedback for the device.

“My dream is to be able to use my arm again, make things easier for my wife, and go back to the profession I love and live for,” said Samir.

Medical Device News Magazinehttps://infomeddnews.com
Medical Device News Magazine provides breaking medical device / biotechnology news. Our subscribers include medical specialists, device industry executives, investors, and other allied health professionals, as well as patients who are interested in researching various medical devices. We hope you find value in our easy-to-read publication and its overall objectives! Medical Device News Magazine is a division of PTM Healthcare Marketing, Inc. Pauline T. Mayer is the managing editor.

More News!

The Evolut ™ FX+ TAVR system leverages market-leading valve performance with addition of larger windows to facilitate coronary access
The study was an analysis of AstraZeneca’s Phase 2 52-Week clinical trial of tralokinumab in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). The patient data from the trial was processed with Brainomix’s e-Lung tool. The tool is uniquely powered by the weighted reticulovascular score (WRVS), a novel biomarker that incorporates reticular opacities and vascular structures of the lung.
“Since the algorithm for matching patients with donors is changing across for all organs, this was a prime time to better understand whether transplant team decisions to accept a donated organ varied by patient race and gender,” she said. “We wanted to understand how the process of receiving a transplant after listing varied by race and gender, and the combination of the two, so that steps can be taken to make that process more equitable," said Khadijah Breathett, MD.
The Mount Sinai study found that primary care physicians’ approach reflects a dearth of evidence-based guidance for lung cancer screening shared decision-making in patients with complex comorbidities
This is the first ever transplantation of a genetically engineered porcine kidney into a living human recipient.

By using this website you agree to accept Medical Device News Magazine Privacy Policy