Laparoscopic surgery device maker Minimally Invasive Devices has received regulatory certification to begin selling its FloShield visualization system in Europe.
The device is used to stop liquid from gathering at the tip of and obstructing the view of a laparoscope by employing airflow to defog and deflect debris from the laparoscope’s lens, according to a statement from the Columbus, Ohio-based company. Laparoscopy is a type of surgery that features a tube with a small, lighted camera placed through an incision in a patient’s midsection and allows a surgeon to see the contents of the patient’s abdomen or pelvis.
Receiving the European Union’s CE Mark opens up a new market for the 14-employee startup, which was founded in 2007 by CEO Wayne Poll, a surgeon. The company has not yet secured a European distributor, but Poll said Minimally Invasive Devices (MID) has been contacted by several who have shown interest in the FloShield.
MID obtained U.S. regulatory clearance for the FloShield in 2008. The device is in “early distribution” in the U.S. and in use at about 40 hospitals. Last year, MID signed a U.S. distribution deal with San Diego-based CareFusion for the device.
The company raised $1.5 million late last year.
Poll got the idea for his company while in the operating rooms at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, which is part of the OhioHealth system. A specialist in minimally invasive procedures, particularly kidney cancer, Poll was frustrated that he needed to clear the tip of the laparoscope that guided him as he worked.
