Pressure injuries – also known as bedsores – cost the global healthcare system $200 billion a year. In hospitals, patients with pressure injuries are 5 times more likely to die than those without.
The good news is that up to 95% of pressure injuries are preventable. That figure is set to be achievable, thanks to an innovative technology from Lenexa Medical.
The company’s LenexaCARE solution monitors patients continuously while they are in bed. It alerts caregivers when it is time to reposition patients, and to reposition them correctly. LenexaCARE eases staff workload while prioritising care for those in need, and avoiding unnecessary repositions for those who have moved.
The solution can also prevent bedsores from developing when patients enter hospitals and aged care facilities. In a current trial at 2 hospitals and 9 aged care facilities in Australia, Lenexa Medical has had a 100% success rate, with no pressure injuries developed to date.
A “born global” business, Lenexa is trialling LenexaCARE at aged care facilities in Singapore. The solution is also approved for use in the US, the UK and Europe.
‘Our solution not only helps prevent pressure injuries, it can help the healthcare system reduce costs and improve the standard of care,’ says Ajit Ravindran, Lenexa Medical’s Co-founder and CEO. ‘It leads to better health outcomes for patients.’
Preventing pressure injuries with real-time monitoring
Hospitals and aged care facilities typically rely on air mattresses that inflate at intervals to turn patients. However, international standards state that patients must still be regularly turned by caregivers. Even with human monitoring and intervention, the lack of real-time data increases the risk of a patient being incorrectly repositioned at the wrong time.
LenexaCARE’s fabric-based smart sensors are placed under a mattress cover. The 7,000 sensing points monitor the patient’s pressure points in real time. The system sends alerts to carers when it’s time to reposition the patient to prevent pressure injuries.
‘Pressure injuries increase sevenfold when residents are not turned at the right time,’ says Ravindran. ‘Our smart bed technology enables staff to prevent pressure injuries from developing. It also helps ensure existing injuries do not worsen and threaten a patient's health.’
Ravindran says Lenexa Medical is well placed to help the aged care sector address pressure injuries.
‘The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety highlighted pressure injuries as an area that needed attention,’ says Ravindran. ‘Pressure injuries are one of 3 quality indicators that aged care facilities must report to the Department of Health. LenexaCARE can help aged care facilities to show that they are preventing pressure injuries and meeting quality standards.’
Lenexa Medical is trialling its LenexaCARE system at hospitals and aged care facilities in Australia and Singapore.
Manufacturing in Southeast Asia to support regional growth
Ravindran says Lenexa Medical ‘wanted to work with a manufacturer who could take on small-scale manufacturing and who could scale to grow with us.’
While initial units were and are still produced in Melbourne, Lenexa Medical wanted to do mass manufacturing in a low-cost region with a long-term proven manufacturing industry. Ideally, the manufacturing would be close to suppliers and customers.
The state of Johor in Malaysia was identified as a potential manufacturing base. It is also adjacent to a ready market in Singapore. Singapore was also identified for its strengths in logistics and R&D.
LenexaCARE has many intricate components. As a medical product, it requires stringent adherence to processes and procedures. Over a year, Lenexa Medical worked with the factory in Johor to reconfigure it to assemble LenexaCARE and trained the factory workforce. The company also implemented tools and systems to enable the facility to attain ISO13485 certification for medical devices. The factory can now assemble units from components imported from around the world including Australia, China, the US and the EU.
Assembled units are sent to Melbourne for final assembly, testing and commissioning before it is packed for delivery to customers. Longer term, Lenexa Medical has plans to scale up or establish a fully integrated manufacturing facility in the region to serve global markets.
‘We also have a multi-supplier strategy to de-risk our supply chain,’ says Ravindran. ‘We can increase production by introducing additional lines when demand requires. We are building the infrastructure to scale our product in a global market.’
Supporting Southeast Asia’s ageing population
Locating its manufacturing operations in Southeast Asia also supports Lenexa Medical to enter a region looking for solutions for a large ageing population.
In Singapore, the company is trialling LenexaCARE in 2 aged care facilities run by the Ministry of Health. ‘They were so excited when they first saw the solution – they couldn’t wait to try it out,’ says Ravindran. Lenexa Medical plans to use Singapore as a case study to support regional expansion.
Austrade opens the right doors
Austrade has worked with Lenexa Medical since 2019, supporting the company as it developed prototypes and tested the solution, and embarked on its export journey.
Ravindran says doing business in Asia is about making connections and building relationships. In this, Austrade has been a great help.
‘We’ve been able to tap into the strengths of the Austrade network,’ he says. ‘In Malaysia, Austrade connected us to the Malaysian Medical Device Authority and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. Austrade also shared information about upcoming conferences including Ageing Asia, and facilitated introductions to distributors.’
In Singapore, Austrade has provided market insights, introductions and business-matching services.
Austrade introduced Lenexa Medical to the Southeast Asia Investment Deals team to seek assistance setting up a facility in Southeast Asia. Austrade also offered to connect Lenexa Medical to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Brunei to explore and expand into the market.
‘Austrade has made introductions and organised meetings for us in the US,’ adds Ravindran. ‘They invited us to showcase our product at Arab Health, the largest health trade show in the Middle East.
‘Austrade can guide you in so many ways, from making introductions to helping refine market entry strategies,’ says Ravindran. ‘The backing from the Australian Government gives extra credibility. If you’re thinking of entering new markets, reach out to Austrade and trust them. They have very capable people in Australia and on the ground in local markets.’
Taking smart beds into the home and beyond
Lenexa Medical is making LenexaCARE available for use in homes.
‘The home care market is huge because more people want their family members to stay at home as they get older,’ says Ravindran. ‘We’re working with some distributors to move into this market.’
Further down the track, Ravindran says the technology can be expanded to monitor a person’s sleep, heart rate, breathing, weight and more.
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