The 2018 AGA Shark Tank featured five innovators presenting their new gastroenterology technologies to a panel of sharks including GI experts, a venture capitalist and a commercial payer among others at the 2018 AGA Tech Summit, March 21 to March 23 in Boston.
Here are the three most innovative pieces of technology gastroenterologists can look forward to.
1. The 2018 Shark Tank Winner was Chang-Hee Kim, PhD, of GoDx, who created a device that analyzes stool samples in real time. The device allows for stool analysis in as little as 15 minutes, instead of the long turnaround times associated with lab-based analysis. Dr. Kim said the device could be used in hospitals or sites where ordering lab studies is not a viable.
2. Virgo Surgical Video Solutions Co-Founder Matthew Schwartz created an endoscopy video device that works with any existing endoscopy system with a video output. It eliminates the formatting and setup issues that plague existing video capture devices. It also features cloud-based storage.
3. Aspisafe Solutions Founder Talal Sharaiha, MD, created a novel nasogastric tube equipped with a dual balloon system to prevent pulmonary aspiration. One balloon serves as an anchor in the esophagus, while the other balloon serves as a reservoir in the stomach. The balloon in the stomach is an anti-aspiration reservoir that blocks the reflux of gastric contents.
To read about two other Shark Tank participants, click here.