(Photo by wang dongxu on Unsplash)
A bandage-sized heart monitor, an extracorporeal blood pump that mimics the human heart, and a heart valve that can grow with a child were among the six winners of a contest yesterday in Philadelphia for innovative pediatric cardiovascular devices.
The Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium organized by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System awarded each winner $25,000 and advisory services from the Sheikh Zayed Institute’s innovation resource network. The symposium holds this contest annually to encourage the development of devices that address significant unmet needs in children’s healthcare. It is a joint effort with The MedTech Conference powered by AdvaMed, which began today.
Pediatric cardiovascular devices can make a life-changing difference, especially for younger children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 40,000 children are born annually in the U.S. with a congenital heart defect and approximately 1 million U.S. children currently live with one. Most cardiac devices are not sized for newborns and young children, and many of those that are must be replaced as these children grow.
The sixth annual contest, which attracted 45 entries from around the world, usually produces four winners. However, the judges were so impressed by the quality and potential of the technologies presented that Children’s National expanded the award grants to $150,000 to include six awardees.
Here are the six winners and the five runners-up.
