Hospital Brings Life-Saving Sepsis Detection Technology to Rural Louisiana

Our Lady of the Lake Ascension implements the IntelliSep^® technology in its emergency department to help improve patient outcomes and reduce patient transfers

SAN FRANCISCO , Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cytovale^®, a commercial-stage medical diagnostics company focused on advancing early detection technologies to diagnose fast-moving and immune-mediated diseases, today announced that use of its rapid sepsis detection technology is expanding into rural communities with the adoption of IntelliSep^® by Our Lady of the Lake Ascension, part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS). The 78-bed Catholic community hospital in Gonzales, La., has integrated IntelliSep into its emergency department (ED) and laboratory workflows to support fast, accurate sepsis detection of critically ill patients and minimize unnecessary patient transfers.

"As a community hospital, we're always looking for ways to ensure patients receive timely and effective care for quick-moving and life-threatening conditions like sepsis. Early detection is a matter of life and death," said Chuck Spicer, president of Our Lady of the Lake Ascension. "The addition of a proven, innovative technology like IntelliSep gives us an accurate tool for ensuring our patients receive the most appropriate treatments locally. By adding IntelliSep to our toolbox, we are aiming to enhance our healthcare delivery by helping reduce mortality, recovery time, and medical costs through early sepsis detection."

IntelliSep is the first and only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared cellular host diagnostic indicated for use in the ED, where more than 80% of sepsis cases present. Our Lady of the Lake Ascension selected IntelliSep for its ability to operate effectively within a limited lab infrastructure, using routine blood draws to see results in about eight minutes.

IntelliSep was first deployed at FMOLHS' Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (OLOLRMC) in Baton Rouge, La., the busiest emergency department in Louisiana, and showed improvements in patient care and outcomes. These included reducing the overall risk-adjusted mortality index by 30% for sepsis patients, treating those at risk for sepsis 60 to 70 minutes faster, and saving 23 to 30 hours of nursing time per month. Patients at OLOLRMC's ED who were tested with IntelliSep and subsequently admitted spent 1.28 fewer days in the hospital, and the hospital realized an average savings of $1,429 per patient tested.

The encouraging results of its initial IntelliSep use prompted FMOL to expand its use across the health system, with the technology now available at Our Lady of the Lake Ascension, as well as St. Dominic's Hospital in Jackson, Miss.; St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, La.; and Our Lady of Lourdes Health in Acadiana, La.

"We applaud FMOLHS for extending access to the IntelliSep technology into rural communities, like those served by Ascension. Investing in innovative sepsis technologies across the system underscores their commitment to advancing equitable access to life-saving care," said Cytovale CEO Ajay Shah. "The message is clear: Advanced sepsis diagnostics can be used effectively in rural settings, helping healthcare providers make quicker, more informed decisions and ensuring that patients everywhere receive the highest standard of care."

About Cytovale^®
Cytovale is committed to improving patient care by pioneering early detection technologies that assess immune activation to accelerate the time it takes to get from triage to life-saving therapies. Cytovale's U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared rapid sepsis diagnostic, IntelliSep^®, leverages machine learning and advanced microfluidics to provide Emergency Department clinicians with an objective and highly sensitive early detection tool for sepsis. IntelliSep measures the dysregulated immune system response to infection that would indicate sepsis and generates results in about eight minutes using a standard blood draw. Cytovale is based in San Francisco and venture-backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Sands Capital and Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC). For more information, visit www.cytovale.com and follow Cytovale on LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Cytovale