As a registered nurse, Lindsey Roddy witnessed the dangers of unorganized medical tubing after her own patient’s medical lines became tangled. A post-surgery patient required life-saving interventions after their medical line carrying life support medications became caught and pulled out of their neck while moving a patient. This situation is not uncommon as 19 million medical lines are inadvertently pulled from patients each year; increasing treatment costs, distress to patients and potentially causing serious safety events and even death.
Determined to solve this problem, Roddy wanted to create a device to ensure medical lines remain in place. When she attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM), Roddy participated in UWM’s Student Startup Challenge and the Milwaukee I-Corps Program; in 2017, these programs helped her develop a product idea and prototype. With assistance from the UWM Research Foundation (UWMRF), the technology transfer office for UWM, Roddy filed her first patent application and licensed the technology.
In 2018, RoddyMedical was founded. The company created its flagship product, the SecureMove-TLCⓇ, a wearable, single-use, class I medical device that can mitigate over 80 pounds of pull force. It secures and organizes up to eight medical tubes, lines or cords, improving both patient therapy efficiency and IV medication safety.
“We constantly hear ‘I can’t believe no one thought of this before. This would have saved my patient. This would have saved me time.’ It just gives us goosebumps!” shared Pat Deno, Chief Operating Officer of RoddyMedical.
After 37 iterations to perfect the prototype, the team created a device that prevents painful line pulling and dislodgement. In 2021, the product was registered with the FDA and is now on the market. Since its creation, the company has successfully raised $2.1 million to date. In 2021 and 2022, RoddyMedical received Bridge Grants from the UWMRF and then completed an early seed funding round with Wisconsin investors.
With multiple patents issued and several pending, the company is focused on future growth. To gain traction in the marketplace, Roddy and Deno are introducing the SecureMove-TLC at conferences that target nursing leadership. In 2024, they were chosen to participate in the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State MedTech Accelerator Program, for market and investment opportunities.
Before the SecureMove-TLC, 64% of early mobility therapy time was spent detangling and securing lines while $266 million was spent on replacing vascular access devices due to line pullouts and compromised catheters. Now with SecureMove-TLC, patient comfort is improved while promoting efficiency and time savings for staff, along with reducing line pull-outs. Patients are able to get up and move safely and comfortably during their recovery, which may increase the chance of earlier discharge, fewer hospital-acquired conditions and fewer readmissions.
This story was originally published in 2024.
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