Imagine a tiny, smart alarm system inside a blood vessel. When a stent—which is like a small mesh tube used to keep arteries open—starts to clog up again, this sensor sends a wireless signal. It lets doctors find the problem early and fix it before it leads to serious complications like limb loss.
Stents often reclog (restenosis) in 23% of cases, but this is usually detected too late, leading to high mortality and amputations. There is currently no low-cost, frequent, non-invasive way to monitor these implants.
A wireless implantable sensor system consisting of an optimized geometric stent design, a read-out unit (ROU) with digital filters, and a diagnostic software algorithm based on NASCET criteria.
If you are a stent producer dealing with the 23% restenosis rate occurring within 6 years after implantation — this project developed a smart monitoring device that enables early, non-invasive diagnosis. This adds a high-value monitoring layer to existing therapeutic hardware.
If you are a clinic dealing with the unmet challenge of frequent PAD surveillance — this project developed a low-cost read-out unit that allows non-specialist practitioners to monitor patients. This reduces the need for expensive, specialized diagnostic equipment for every check-up.
If you are an insurer dealing with the high costs of late-stage PAD complications and amputations — this project developed a wireless detection system that prevents unchecked disease progression. This could save the EU economy over €1bn per year by reducing emergency interventions.
The device is designed for low-cost monitoring by non-specialist practitioners, which is estimated to save the EU economy over €1bn per year.
Based on available project data, there is a massive global market with over 237 million people suffering from PAD and 3.5M stents implanted annually.
Based on available project data, the project is led by VesselSens GmbH, but specific patent or licensing terms are not detailed in the summary.
The project has already carried out biological safety evaluations meeting the requirements of ISO 10993-1:2018.
The project runs from October 2022 to July 2025, with animal testing (Task 1.4) as the current upcoming milestone.
The project is managed by a single-partner consortium consisting of VesselSens GmbH, a German SME. This 100% industry-led structure suggests a strong focus on commercialization and rapid market entry rather than academic research, with the SME acting as both the coordinator and the sole developer.
Contact VesselSens GmbH in Germany
Contact us to explore licensing opportunities for the StentGuard sensor technology.
