OrSense's Non Invasive Hemoglobin Monitor has the Potential to Enhance Recruitment of Blood Donors

NES ZIONA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the World Blood Donors Day, OrSense Ltd., developer of monitors for non-invasive measurements of key blood parameters, presents its non-invasive hemoglobin (Hb) monitor, which holds potential to enhance recruitment and retention of blood donors.

“Evaluation of a new non-invasive system for the determination of Hb pre-donation”

Dr. Emma Castro, CEO of the Transfusion Center of the Spanish Red Cross in Madrid said, "A non-invasive system for the measurement of pre-donation Hb is eagerly awaited by both donors and staff. Our donors are very excited about the implementation of the new OrSense system and we are looking at it as a tool that will contribute to enlarge our blood donor community. Pricking the finger is experienced by our blood donors as the worst part of the process, thus the new apparatus will change their experience from a deterring to a pleasant one. Non-invasive Hb monitoring usher a new era for blood donation centers."

Lior Ma'ayan, CEO of OrSense, said, "Our non-invasive Hb monitor, the first and only non-invasive Hb monitor available for use, increases donors and staff safety and allows for simple operation by the staff. All sides have to gain from non-invasive pre-donation Hb measurements: it dramatically increases donors' comfort, and thus, we believe, will boost recruitment and retention of blood donors and encourage young, first time donors to donate blood."

Dr. Castro will deliver an oral presentation discussing OrSense's non-invasive monitor in the upcoming National Congress of SETS, the Spanish transfusion society, to be held in Malaga, Spain on June 15-17. In her talk, entitled "Evaluation of a new non-invasive system for the determination of Hb pre-donation," Dr. Castro and her team show that OrSense's non-invasive device achieves comparable results to those of invasive, commonly used techniques.

A similar conclusion was reached by Dr. R.N. Makroo from the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi, India, who will be presenting his results at the Regional Conference of ISBT, the international society of blood transfusion, to be held June 18-22 in Lisbon, Portugal. Another study on the use of non-invasive Hb for anemia screening will be presented at ISBT by Aharon Weinstein from OrSense and Prof. A. Kornberg from the Department of Hematology and Blood Bank, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Israel.

OrSense non invasive Hb monitor performance was highlighted in a fourth study, during Euroanesthesia 2011 conference of the Europeans Society of anesthesia, held this week in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The study, directed by Prof. P. Singer from the General ICU Rabin Medical Center, Israel and Aharon Weinstein from OrSense, shows that OrSense's device is able to accurately track rapid changes in Hb levels, and maintains reliability even at very low Hb blood content. The publication focuses on hemorrhage that was emulated by hemodilution. OrSense's non-invasive readings were compared to invasive, arterial blood samples. Reference Hb values ranged from 8.4 g/dl to 15 g/dl. The mean bias between NBM readings and the arterial reference values was 0.3 g/dl. The correlation was 0.9 and the standard deviation (SD) of error was 0.7 g/dl. The average personal SD was 0.5 g/dl.

About OrSense's non-invasive hemoglobin monitor

OrSense's portable non-invasive device operates via a ring-shaped sensor that is fitted on the donor's finger and applies pressure, temporarily occluding local blood flow. During the occlusion, optical elements in the sensor perform a sensitive measurement of the light transmitted through the finger. This method, called Occlusion Spectroscopy, provides a quick, accurate and painless measurement of the donor's blood constituents, while greatly improving the donor's comfort, eliminating infection risk, and providing the medical staff with accurate readings and immediate results.

About OrSense

OrSense is a medical device company developing and marketing non-invasive monitoring systems for measurements of oxygen saturation, hemoglobin, glucose and other blood parameters. The Company's FDA cleared NBM 200MP is a non-invasive blood oximetry monitor for use in hospitals. OrSense’s non-invasive hemoglobin/hematocrit monitor was granted the CE approval and was tested on over 8,000 patients and donors at more than 20 sites in the U.S. and Europe. The Company's products are based on its proprietary Occlusion Spectroscopy technology, which overcomes key obstacles that hinder the performance of competing approaches. OrSense's CE approved glucose monitor was tested on over 450 diabetic subjects, showing performance similar to those of invasive glucose sensors. Investors in the Company include Israel Health Care Ventures and STAR Ventures. For additional information, please visit OrSense’s corporate website at www.orsense.com