Clinical value of OrSense NBM 200 non-invasive Hb monitor for maternal health to be presented at 4th COGI

OrSense Ltd., developer of monitors for non-invasive measurements of various blood parameters, announced today that two oral presentations on the clinical value of its NBM 200 non-invasive hemoglobin (Hb) monitor for maternal health and anemia monitoring prior, during and post delivery of pregnant women will be presented at the 4th Asia Pacific Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics Gynecology and Infertility (COGI), in Bangkok, Thailand, to be held on November 24-27, 2011.

“OrSense's device has proven its accuracy and ease of use in determining hemoglobin levels non-invasively. I believe that this device offers a much-needed viable solution for non-invasive anemia screening and management through pregnancy and assists in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in the peripartum period.”

The following oral presentations will introduce data obtained with OrSense's device for the non-invasive monitoring of Hb levels:

Anemia during pregnancy: a controlled risk of maternal mortality. Professor Gian Carlo di Renzo, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Centre for Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine, Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital, Perugia, Italy.

Maternal mortality in the world: some good news. Dr. Luis Cabero Roura, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Hospital Materno-infantil Valle Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.

Professor Moshe Hod, Director, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Helen Schneider Hospital for Woman, Rabin Medical Center, Israel and Co-Chairperson of COGI, said, "OrSense's device has proven its accuracy and ease of use in determining hemoglobin levels non-invasively. I believe that this device offers a much-needed viable solution for non-invasive anemia screening and management through pregnancy and assists in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in the peripartum period."

Over one billion people suffer from iron deficiency anemia worldwide. During pregnancy the need for iron increases and exposes the mother to a higher risk of anemia. Anemia is a prime reason for maternal mortality and acts as a predisposition for low neonate birth weight. In addition, severe anemia may aggravate the negative effect of postpartum hemorrhage, and endanger the mother. It is estimated that 40% of maternal deaths are caused directly or indirectly by anemia.

Reducing maternal mortality is one of the key global healthcare objectives. Close to 350,000 women die each year due to lack of proper diagnosis and treatment and several millions are affected. The inability to identify and treat anemia and hemorrhage in the developing world due to lack of infrastructure and personnel is a key limitation in the UN and WHO efforts to reduce maternal mortality.

OrSense has developed and commercialized a non-invasive, portable monitoring system for measuring spot and continuous hemoglobin and other blood parameters. NBM 200 offers, for the first time an accurate, safe, fast, easy to operate and affordable solution that would allow for anemia screening and monitoring. Being non-invasive, it eliminates the need for finger prick and biochemistry based blood test, prevents infection risks and eliminates the need for handling bio-hazardous material. The continuous non-invasive hemoglobin functionality can serve for early detection of post partum hemorrhage and improved blood management post delivery. It has the potential of improving maternal health by offering online needed information and eliminating safety risks while reducing cost of care. The device is based on OrSense's proprietary Occlusion Spectroscopy technology, which uses a non-invasive optical measurement platform combined with a ring-shaped pneumatic probe that fits on the finger.