RIVANNA Awarded $2.9 Million NIH Grant for Expansion of Accuro 3S Indications to Regional Anesthesia in Emergency Medicine
RIVANNA, developers of world-first, imaging-based medical solutions, announced they received a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant will further the development of Accuro 3S, designed for image-guided regional anesthesia, to broaden access to opioid-sparing analgesia for hip fracture pain.
Each year, over 330,000 Americans face hospitalization due to hip fractures, requiring immediate pain management and surgery for mobility restoration and mortality risk reduction. Conventional treatment involves parenteral opioids, which increase adverse events, including recurrent opioid use.
Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA), like the pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block, provides an effective opioid-free alternative for 300,000 patients annually. However, barriers to UGRA adoption persist due to provider experience and specialized training limitations.
Accuro 3S represents a technological advancement designed to address UGRA barriers by equipping healthcare providers with workflow intelligence for hip regional anesthesia; this will effectively reduce training requirements, streamline workflow, and enhance the utilization of hip regional anesthesia for hip fracture pain.
Notable innovations within the Accuro 3S system include AI-based reconstructions of hip anatomy, real-time needle guidance with automated identification of essential anatomical landmarks, and a novel ultrasound probe.
“Considering that more than one million PENG blocks are performed annually across 5,000 U.S. emergency departments, there is a pressing need to expand opioid-sparing UGRA for hip fracture pain, enhancing accessibility to safer medical procedures and improving patient outcomes,” commented Will Mauldin, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of RIVANNA. “Our technology is well-positioned to bridge a crucial gap in healthcare delivery and expand the range of Accuro 3S clinical applications, unlocking a significant U.S. market opportunity estimated at $295 million annually.”
This funding opportunity is part of the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative and is supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases under Award Number R44AR083337.
About RIVANNA
RIVANNA is a commercial-stage medical device innovator and manufacturer in Charlottesville, VA. RIVANNA‘s mission is to develop and commercialize world-first imaging-based medical technologies that elevate global standards of care. A patented ultrasound-based bone imaging technology powers RIVANNA‘s unique value proposition: enhancing patient safety through radiation-free alternatives to X-ray-based imaging and increasing provider precision and efficiency with AI-enabled software.
RIVANNA is privately held and operates an FDA-registered and ISO 13485:2016 certified manufacturing facility where it produces the Accuro product line and related medical equipment and components. For more information, visit RIVANNA.