Sutter Health is building upon the existing skill level for sepsis management within its ICUs by implementing FloPatch developed by Flosonics Medical portable Doppler ultrasound. The first-of-a-kind technology allows real-time data on blood flow, which is key to speed and accuracy in decision-making when it comes to sepsis—a condition that may result in rapid deterioration and even death by patients.

The Urgency of Real-Time Data for Sepsis Management
Every year, sepsis strikes 1.7 million Americans, and approximately 350,000 of them die. The best treatment outcomes occur when early and adequate interventions are administered; therefore, the clinician must obtain information instantaneously. Conventional methods for the prediction of fluid volumes result in many cases in the clinician making inappropriate treatment decisions. The FloPatch directly measures carotid artery blood flow and provides actionable information on a patient’s fluid responsiveness.

Introducing the FloPatch for Critical Care Launching on September 9, 2024, across Sutter’s Eden Medical Center and California Pacific Medical Center, FloPatch will be used in ICUs, EDs, and trauma centers. Sutter Health has identified champions who are critical care nurses to support a smooth and effective rollout to integrate this technology into clinical flows.

Potential to Influence Patient Outcomes Sutter Health wants to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis by maintaining appropriate fluid management and preventing respiratory or kidney failure. In other words, the FloPatch may greatly help in saving patient outcomes, which may go up to thousands of lives each year, by availing real-time data. This is a huge leap into advanced technology adoption by Sutter Health, setting a new benchmark in the field of critical care regarding sepsis treatment.