Tech TalkImmediately following the horrific October 7 massacre, the people of Israel have come together to offer their support to those who need it. Whether donating money, food supplies, equipment, or one’s time and energy – the nation has come together in a way that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, amid the divisive judicial reform.A study published by the Institute for the Study of Civil Society at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that almost half of all Israelis volunteered in the first two weeks, following the massacre and the start of the Israel-Hamas war.As the State of Israel mobilized its citizens’ army, those not called to duty found other ways to support the victims and front-line soldiers. Included in this were numerous Israeli companies and businesses that played a major role in supporting the cause as well.
As a prime example, Modi’in-based FIZE Medical did its part by donating several of its FIZE kUO® devices to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba on the day after the massacre.On October 7, due to its proximity to the moshavim and kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza Strip, Soroka became inundated with chaos as patients began flooding in. The medical center’s emergency department treated some 680 patients in the first 16 hours – 120 of whom were in critical condition.Wasting no time, FIZE, under the leadership of CEO Dror Zerem, sent a number of its FIZE kUO kidney monitoring systems to Soroka’s ICU department to relieve the massive strain the medical center came under.FIZE’s patented kidney monitoring system provides minute-by-minute digital UO monitoring, with resolution accuracy down to the microliter for ICU patients of all ages. This even includes pediatrics and neonates, who produce smaller quantities of urine.Why is this important?Studies have shown that effective monitoring of kidney output helps reduce the mortality rate among patients suffering from acute kidney injury (AKI). For many of those critically wounded on October 7, the measurement and monitoring of urine output was the most crucial aspect of critical care, serving as a key indicator for a patient’s fluid balance status.Furthermore, the use of the FIZE kUO devices allowed for early detection of kidney function deterioration which signals the development of AKI or shock.“Our product is groundbreaking because it addresses multiple challenges related to the management and monitoring of ICU patients,” Zerem said. “We are filling not only a clinical need but an operational need that enables healthcare teams to operate more efficiently.”And the importance of operating efficiently can’t be overstated following terror attacks with heavy casualties and injuries.The FIZE kUO device allows healthcare professionals to quickly detect kidney function deterioration so timely interventions and treatment adjustments can be made.In pediatric and neonatal units, where obtaining accurate results and flagging for deterioration requires supreme precision due to a patient’s age and physical fragility, early detection is critical. The donation of several of FIZE’s devices to Soroka is critical therefore, as standard hospital manual urinometers suffer from several vital flaws that inhibit care, most notably human error and the lack of real-time measurements.Following its quick installation in the hospital’s ICU department, the tool has assisted doctors in treating those wounded in the war, working to alleviate the stress in a crisis.“As a health-tech startup, we have the obligation to help the hospitals in Israel,” Zerem stated. “As soon as the dimensions of the brutal attack on the residents of the South were revealed, we were asked by Soroka to immediately send additional devices to reinforce the wards, and we responded without delay,” said Zerem. “We are proud to be part of an extensive community effort that is ensuring our devices are also being sent to additional hospitals.”FIZE Medical has essentially transformed the catheter and urinometer into a smart monitor that automatically streamlines data directly to a hospital’s electronic medical records system, measuring every drop of urine entering the bladder in real-time.The data is then analyzed and key insights are provided for the medical staff, leading to improved quality of care in ICU departments. FIZE kUO saves an average of 10 hours a day in ICU staff time, freeing up nurses and doctors to carry out other vital tasks and reducing burnout – an aspect of FIZE’s tool that greatly improved the level of care ICU patients received following the October 7 tragedy.“The devices donated by FIZE Medical helped us to perform efficient and quick monitoring of critical indicators, such as the state of the kidneys and urine automatically, and allowed the medical team to be freed up for more urgent tasks,” said Prof. Klein from Soroka Medical Center.Prior to Hamas’s barbaric assault on Israel, FIZE had just launched a collaboration with Soroka, Beilinson Hospital, and Sourasky Medical Center to provide its smart platform for monitoring and analyzing kidney output indicators in ICU patients. The launch of the platform follows the signing of the company’s single-provider agreement with Clalit Health, the largest healthcare provider in Israel.