ACI Medical, Inc. is a biomedical engineering firm engaged in the research, development, manufacture and sale of therapeutic products and technologies for individuals with varying degrees of life-impairing vascular conditions. With 18 years experience in bringing innovative healthcare products to market, ACI is committed to developing, producing and distributing the highest-quality products for patients, consumers and healthcare partners.
ACI holds exclusive rights to several U.S. patents that are the foundation of its hallmark device, the ArtAssist®.
Markets
The need for noninvasive medical devices that increase, monitor, or measure arterial blood flow is vital to the treatment of several patient populations, including people with diabetes and individuals suffering from what is commonly called ``hardening of the arteries.``
Diabetes is the most frequent cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation, with more than 92,000 amputations performed each year. In America alone, there are 13 million diabetics, or 5.2% percent of the population. Diabetic foot ulcers, suffered by more than two million diabetics annually, are often the first symptom of reduced blood flow that can lead to amputation.
ArtAssist also relieves symptoms of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), called ``hardening of the arteries`` which affects more than 4 million Americans each year.
Treating arterial disease with the ArtAssist device results in substantial cost savings to the healthcare system when compared to amputation. Although currently not covered by Medicare/Medicaid, ACI is in the process of obtaining an individual Medicare/Medicaid code for this product, which will increase the market further.
Products
ACI`s established products include:
- ArtAssist® - an in-home therapeutic device designed to increase arterial blood flow to lower limbs.
- VenAssist® - a pneumatic compression device for preventing blood clots from forming in the veins of at risk hospitalized patients. Blood clots can travel to the lungs and are a major cause of postoperative death.
- VenaPulse® - a noninvasive device that generates static, tourniquet pressure to limbs of patients undergoing vascular testing. It is used for vein mapping and quantification of venous flow to identify suitable distal vessel for bypass, among other uses.
- APG® - a noninvasive diagnostic tool that quantifies the physiological components of chronic venous disease. APG helps identify and follow-up patients that are good candidates for deep venous reconstruction. A modified version of the APG system has been used on the Mir Space Station to quantify the effects of prolonged microgravity on peripheral vascular tone in arms and legs.
The company also manufactures and markets:
- Miniature diaphragm pumps for use in a wide variety of applications, including medical equipment, industrial gas sampling applications and toys.
- Custom injection molding used with CAD/CAM capabilities and a wide range of molding equipment.
