MIMOSA and its potential in diabetes and vascular disease.

MIMOSA is a handheld device that uses near-infrared light to accurately and non-invasively assess tissue health. It can be easily used by a healthcare provider and the images produced will help inform the next steps within patient navigation and management (e.g. you need to see a podiatrist, or a vascular surgeon to help with the blood flow, or you may need more urgent treatment to prevent severe complications like limb loss). One significant area where vascular assessment can have significant clinical impact, is in the management of the patient with diabetes.

Today, monitoring your diabetes generally takes about three hours a day. Add in inspecting your feet especially if you have difficulty with your sight, or mobility issues, and a loss of feeling, management of this disease can feel overwhelming. This burden and sometimes lack of knowledge can mean that problems become advanced without caregiver or patient knowledge. Family caregivers can help, but they don’t always know what they’re looking for, and getting to a healthcare provider just may not be possible, especially in rural communities, who patients are two to three times more likely to lose a leg.

Between 15 and 25 percent of people with diabetes will have a foot ulcer at some point in their life. These ulcers often become infected and as a result, diabetics are 23 times more likely than the general population to have a lower limb amputation. Of those who have an amputation, 30 percent die within one year. After five years, the mortality rate jumps to 70 percent. With more accurate monitoring and early diagnosis, patients are getting better treatment, and as a result the amputation rates can be reduced dramatically. Not only can this approach save limbs, but rather lives.

MIMOSA detects tissue oximetry and temperature in tissue by imaging the skin with near-infrared & infrared light, just beyond the range of human vision. MIMOSA makes the invisible, visible. This range of light is just above the visible region, so it is safe, but also has deep penetration into the skin. Doctors can use this information in conjunction with their clinical exam to decide whether the skin is perfused, if it has an adequate oxygen supply, if it’s viable, and measure important physiological parameters within the assessment region.

The technology MIMOSA uses to monitor wounds is not entirely new – it was originally developed as an early detector and triage tool for determining burn depth. But what has changed with the invention of MIMOSA is the size – perhaps the most important part for both clinicians and patients. As a result of the increased computing power provided by cell phones, the technology could be miniaturized. So multispectral imaging (MSI) has now evolved from being ten to twelve feet tall to being a small device pairing with a smart phone.

The novel thing about the MIMOSA and the platform is its capacity to relay images into a web portal for remote viewing. It is a HIPPA compliant & secure cloud based platform that enables communication amongst clinicians and tracking patient’s physiology over time. The mission of the company is to break down barriers in access to care by first removing geographic boundaries. Patients with Vascular disease who live outside an urban area are 2-3x more likely to lose their leg based on where they live. Access to appropriate care is a fundamental human right.

MIMOSA can help break down these barriers to care by remote monitoring of important parameters that can help clinicians make decisions in real time, communicate with each other and most importantly provide care in a timely manner. At MIMOSA, we are bringing hospital grade medical technology to the patient.?MIMOSA will make a huge impact as we move forward in a new normal.