20/20 Imaging Signs Distribution Agreement With Medovate to Bring Pioneering SAFIRA Regional Anesthesia Solution to Veterinarians

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill., June 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 20/20 Imaging, a division of Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc. and a leader in veterinary imaging solutions, announced today a distribution agreement with Medovate Ltd., a medical device development company based in Cambridge, UK, to bring the pioneering SAFIRA^® system for regional anesthesia to the US veterinary market. Konica Minolta’s ultrasound systems are an excellent complement to the SAFIRA system as ultrasound is optimally used to guide the exact placement of local/regional anesthetic as well as provide real-time assessment of the needle advancement. This agreement will further expand the use of regional anesthesia with ultrasound imaging in veterinary practices.

20/20 Imaging is a leading provider of Konica Minolta Healthcare’s advanced ultrasound systems, such as the SONIMAGE^® HS2 Portable Ultrasound System and the SONIMAGE^® MX1 Platinum Compact Ultrasound System, to the US veterinary market. Ultrasound is widely considered the gold standard for safety and efficacy in regional anesthesia^1,2,3. In human studies, regional anesthesia has demonstrated better post-operative analgesia, decreased opioid consumption and length of stay, early rehabilitation, fewer anesthesia-related side effects and high patient satisfaction compared to general anesthesia^4,5. Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is increasingly being used in veterinary practices due to these benefits and the improved quality of patient recovery compared to general anesthesia. Nerve injury for instance, is harder to ascertain in animals. Small animals, such as cats, also have increased sensitivity to local anesthetics when compared with other species, necessitating much lower maximum doses be used⁶.

SAFIRA (Safer Injection for Regional Anesthesia) is a medical device designed to limit injection pressure and automatically stop injection at high pressures, helping to reduce the risk of nerve injury and improving patient safety. The solution also transforms regional anesthesia into a one-person procedure by allowing a single veterinarian to conduct the entire procedure. Previously, an assistant was required to inject the anesthetic solution at the required pressure while the practitioner inserted the needle tip using ultrasound guidance.

Bob Salzman, President 20/20 Imaging says, “20/20 Imaging is proud to be the appointed veterinary distributor for SAFIRA and bring the unique benefits and safety profile of this technology to our US customers. As with human patients, regional anesthesia delivers numerous advantages to animal patients and by enabling a one-person procedure, more veterinarians will be able to utilize this capability. SAFIRA is the perfect complement to our portfolio of leading ultrasound solutions, further enabling our veterinary customers to deliver the best care to their patients.”

Stuart Thomson, Managing Director at Medovate says, “With a significant number of regional anesthesia blocks performed in veterinary practice each year globally, SAFIRA can play a significant role in the future of veterinary regional anesthesia practice. We are delighted to be partnering with 20/20 Imaging as our new distributor partner for SAFIRA in the veterinary market in the US and we look forward to working with them. It is a very exciting time for our company and we look forward to helping veterinarians across the US elevate the quality and safety of interventions and treatments.”

Developed in collaboration with consultant anesthesiologists in the UK National Health Service (NHS), SAFIRA has been successfully launched in the human healthcare field in the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Middle East.

1. Griffin J, Nicholls B. Ultrasound in regional anaesthesia. Anaesthesia. 2010;65 Suppl 1:1-12.
2. Sites BD, Antonakakis JG. Ultrasound guidance in regional anesthesia: state of the art review through challenging clinical scenarios. Local Reg Anesth. 2009;2:1-14.
3. Andrew T. Gray, David C. Warltier; Ultrasound-guided Regional Anesthesia: Current State of the Art. Anesthesiology 2006; 104:368–373.
4. Cozowicz C, Poeran J, Zubizarreta N, et al. Trends in the Use of Regional Anesthesia: Neuraxial and Peripheral Nerve Blocks. Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2016;41:43-49.
5. Albrecht, E. and Chin, K.J. Advances in regional anaesthesia and acute pain management: a narrative review. Anaesthesia, 2020; 75: e101-e110.
6. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management in Veterinary Medicine (asra.com)

About 20/20 Imaging

20/20 Imaging, a division of Konica Minolta Healthcare, is a leading provider of healthcare IT and digital imaging solutions tailored for specialties such as podiatry, chiropractic and veterinary medicine. Utilizing its broad healthcare IT and imaging expertise, and new economical DR, ultrasound and PACS solutions, 20/20 Imaging provides comprehensive digital imaging & IT solutions and services to a large variety of small to medium size clinical specialties.

About Medovate www.medovate.co.uk

Medovate is a medical device company dedicated to the development and commercialisation of innovative medical technologies created within the NHS and beyond. Medovate identifies and works with high potential medtech innovations, providing the specialist management and technical resources to guide medical technologies through development, clinical trials, regulatory approval, into manufacture and on through to successful market launch. Medovate accelerates medical device innovations to market in order to benefit patient care and healthcare delivery. The company has a strong portfolio relating to specialisms in anesthesia, airway management, critical care and surgery. Medovate provides commercial returns to the NHS organisations and inventors that created the technologies helping to support further NHS innovation.

Contact:
Mary Beth Massat
mbmassat@massatmedia.com
224.578.2388
www.2020imaging.net

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c5b4a85e-1a91-44ae-9aff-2d078b0ddf41