# Low Cost Image Guidance for Improved Vessel Cannulation in Pediatric Patients

> **NIH NIH R44** · CLEAR GUIDE MEDICAL, INC. · 2020 · $707,508

## Abstract

The use of ultrasound for placement of many IVs in pediatric cases has significantly enhanced the
success of Central Vein Catheterizations ("CVCs"), although ultrasound can often be hard for non-
specialists to use. Although ultrasound guidance can certainly facilitate vascular access, it takes practice
and experience to master the real-time ultrasound, free hand technique. The value of this SBIR project
is to use technology to broaden the number of clinicians who can safely and quickly perform these
important procedures, thereby also reducing hospital costs by freeing up Interventional Radiology or
Anesthesia specialists.
This application describes the technological research plan to address key technical product
developments to adapt the FDA-cleared SCENERGY to the pediatric market for CVCs and to obtain
clinical data to demonstrate that the addition of the needle-guidance technology increases the accuracy
and speed of non-specialist in vessel cannulation.
Public health implications of this proposal include reducing the number of attempts to cannulate children
as well as the speed with which this is accomplished. This reduces the psychological stress of patients
and their parents. More importantly, the number of needle insertions is correlated with complications, so
a reduction in needle insertions/complications has both commercial and non-commercial importance.
Finally, by broadening the number of clinicians able to successfully perform CVCs, this proposal
ameliorates health disparities that arise from access to care limitations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10018510
- **Project number:** 5R44HD096974-03
- **Recipient organization:** CLEAR GUIDE MEDICAL, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Pezhman Foroughi
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $707,508
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-13 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10018510

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10018510, Low Cost Image Guidance for Improved Vessel Cannulation in Pediatric Patients (5R44HD096974-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10018510. Licensed CC0.

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