Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1108006
APRIL 2019 I FLEX007 MAGAZINE 39 The GraftWorx-Lenthor partnership took on the challenge of innovating a device without a standard platform to iterate from. Several ele- ments from both sides were critical to the suc- cess in this partnership: • Willingness to run smaller volumes at a reasonable cost • Creativity to address specific product requirements and use out-of-the-box thinking • Ability to learn and adapt to novel requirements that often come with innovative technology • Preparation on both sides to bring the best thinking and domain knowledge to the table • Flexibility in accommodating a customer that may still be in an early phase with evolving needs Happily, the collaboration was a solid suc- cess. To date, the resulting SmartPatch has been deployed on 120 patients in clinical stud- ies with more on the way. It has proven suc- cessful at measuring hemoglobin and detect- ing healthy flow from the arteriovenous fistula of patients with ESRD. While the number of units is relatively low from a formal reliability assessment (currently underway), anecdotally, there has not been a single failure in the field or complaint from a patient regarding comfort. The partnership has laid a solid technical foun- dation for GraftWorx product development and regulatory pathway. FLEX007 Anthony Flannery is the CTO at GraftWorx. Figure 3: Molded GraftWorx SmartPatch. Extremely flexible regions allow for conformal application on the body. Silicone molding and special gasketing enable the patch to meet IP-64 (splashing/shower) requirements. Jason Michaud is the vice president of sales and marketing at Miraco Inc. In this interview, Michaud dis- cusses with Joe Fjelstad the history of the company, and their flexible circuit products and offerings. He also talks about how they are helping customers improve their product designs. Click the image to watch this interview. Miraco Discusses Flexible Circuit Products and Offerings