Edison Nation Medical and Sepsis Alliance Join Forces to Seek Innovative Solutions for Rapid Diagnosis and Treatment of Sepsis

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Edison Nation Medical, the premier healthcare innovation marketplace, and Sepsis Alliance, North America's largest organization dedicated to the early detection and prevention of sepsis, announced an alliance and worldwide open innovation search to uncover new clinical inventions related to sepsis.

Often referred to as "blood poisoning," sepsis is the body's toxic response to infection. Sepsis can be caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses, although a bacterial source is most common. The symptoms of sepsis can include fever, chills, rapid breathing and heart rate, rash, confusion and disorientation. Many of these symptoms can be caused by other conditions (influenza, pulmonary embolism or side effects of certain drugs), making sepsis difficult to diagnose in its early stages. As a result, in the U.S. alone, sepsis annually claims 258,000 lives and costs more than $20 billion in healthcare costs.

"Severe sepsis is a remarkably common disease, but many patients with life-threatening infection do not always appear severely ill at initial presentation," said Alan Heffner, MD, medical director of the Carolinas HealthCare System Sepsis Collaborative. "Patients with severe sepsis must be diagnosed as quickly as possible and treated within minutes and hours to optimize outcomes, including hospital survival and length of stay. This requires an organized, systematic and multi-team approach to ensure that providers are equipped with the proper knowledge and resources to rapidly care for these critically ill patients."

To encourage breakthrough innovation within today's healthcare climate, Sepsis Alliance and Edison Nation Medical will encourage constituents from throughout the health system to share inventions and ideas for improving the rapid detection, prevention, or treatment of sepsis. All submissions can be submitted online, and will be evaluated by Edison Nation Medical's team of medical, intellectual property and product development experts, in consultation with Sepsis Alliance. Edison Nation Medical will then work with contributors to commercialize the most promising inventions, sharing all licensing royalties or revenues with successful inventors.

Idea submissions may include devices, technologies or apps. The search is open to the public, and Individuals and small businesses from around the world are encouraged to submit inventions through the confidential portal at www.EdisonNationMedical.com/Sepsis.

"This new alliance with Edison Nation Medical is all about saving lives," said Thomas Heymann, President of Sepsis Alliance. "In addition to raising awareness of sepsis and the existing protocols that can dramatically reduce the impact of sepsis, our organization is committed to fostering new diagnostics and treatments related to the early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. This joint effort is an exciting new avenue through which we hope to uncover new sepsis breakthroughs."

"With half of patients diagnosed with sepsis ending up in the ICU, the challenge to uncover ways to rapidly diagnose as well as treat sepsis is paramount," added Robert Grajewski, president of Edison Nation Medical. "By aligning with Sepsis Alliance, we gain a prestigious and committed partner in our search for innovations that will not only save lives, but also eliminate significant cost out of the healthcare system."

About Edison Nation Medical

Edison Nation Medical is a healthcare innovation marketplace with deep expertise in open innovation, product development, and medicine. Born out of collaboration with Carolinas HealthCare System, the second largest public health system in the United States, Edison Nation Medical's mission is to break down the barriers to healthcare innovation. We make this a reality by providing a clear and easy pathway through our open innovation platform for anyone — physicians, nurses, entrepreneurs, even patients and caregivers — to submit a medical invention idea for full evaluation and potential commercialization. Edison Nation Medical innovation headquarters is in Charlotte, NC with satellite offices in San Francisco and New York City. For more information, please visit www.EdisonNationMedical.com or find Edison Nation Medical on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Sepsis Alliance:

Sepsis Alliance is the leading nonprofit patient advocacy organization in North America promoting awareness of sepsis. Sepsis Alliance's mission is to save lives by raising awareness of sepsis as a medical emergency. The organization hosts national and community events, distributes educational information, and promotes training and education of sepsis and its devastating effects. Sepsis Alliance also provides support by giving patients and family members information about sepsis and Post Sepsis Syndrome, as well as a community forum to share experiences and information. Sepsis Alliance, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is a GuideStar Gold Rated Charity and a founding member of the Global Sepsis Alliance. For more information, please visit www.sepsisalliance.org.

SOURCE Edison Nation Medical

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