The First True NPWT Innovation In Over 10 years

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

Effective, easy, and economical for surgical incision management

Aatru Medical Awarded 1st Place in “Oral Abstracts” at SAWC Spring 2024

Who are we?

Aatru Medical, LLC is a privately held medical device company specializing in developing new technologies designed to improve the healthcare experience for clinicians, patients, families, and caregivers.

The name of our company, Aatru, means healing.We are committed to providing innovative wound care products that are clinically effective, safe, and affordable.

Aatru has developed and commercialized NPSIMS, the first true innovation in NPWT in over 10 years, with a goal of improving the patient and clinician experience and increasing affordable access to NPWT for surgical incision management.

Aatru is the parent company of Exothermix, the inventor and supplier of the unique oxygen scavenger used in the mode of action for NPSIMS.

 

Leadership Team

TIMOTHY WOJCIECHOWSKI
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Inventor

Mr. Wojciechowski is the Chief Executive Officer of Aatru. He brings 20 years of demonstrated start-up and technology development expertise in the areas of NPWT and LCD optical films . Mr. Wojciechowski held leadership positions at Micros Chip, served as CEO at Concast Standard, Trivium Technologies, Executive GM at Oglebay-Norton Advanced Materials, and is a co-inventor on more than 15 patents in NPWT and optical films.

Mr. Wojciechowski holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Cleveland State University.

THOMAS LASH
Chief Operating Officer and Co-Inventor

Mr. Lash is the Chief Operating Officer of Aatru. He brings over 30 years of technology consultative sales and marketing with large corporations and start-ups, including serving as CEO for Micros Chip and COO at Trivium Technologies, Inc. Prior to his executive leadership roles, Mr. Lash had a variety of senior sales and marketing at EMC Corporation, Teradata, NCR Corporation, and AT&T.

Mr. Lash holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Affairs and Communications from Cleveland State University.

RUSS DONDA
Interim President

Executive-in-Residence for biosensor and medical technologies at the Great Lakes Innovation & Development Enterprise, Russ Donda has over 25 years of management experience at very early stage companies. He was the founding CEO of ViewRay Incorporated, a founding manager at Regeneration Technologies and a founding member and co-chair of investment review for angel group the Emergent Growth Fund.

JEFF USTIN, M.D.Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Ustin is the Chief Medical Officer of Aatru. He has worked in device design for start up medical companies for almost 20 years. Dr. Ustin is a practicing trauma surgeon in Cleveland, Ohio with a strong background in engineering and entrepreneurship.  After completing an undergraduate degree in engineering at Dartmouth College, Dr. Ustin received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine.  He began his training in general surgery at Case Western Reserve and in lieu of traditional research time obtained a Masters in Electrical Engineering from University California, Berkeley.  Dr. Ustin then completed his general surgery training at Emory University and did a fellowship in Acute Care Surgery, comprising trauma, emergency surgery, and surgical critical care at Harvard University and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

He has also served on oversight and advisory committees at MetroHealth, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and through Case Western Reserve University Department of Biomedical

RICHARD MIDDAUGH, Ph.D.Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Inventor

Dr. Middaugh is the Chief Scientific Officer and a Director of Aatru. He held scientific positions of increasing management and leadership for 26 years at Energizer Battery. Dr. Middaugh was an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Northeastern University and the University of Kansas and previously served as a consultant to RBC Technologies and Revolt Technology, LTD.

Mr. Middaugh holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Harvard University and received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

WILLIAM EVO, J.D.Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel

Mr. Evo is the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel for Aatru. He has over 35 years as a licensed business and transaction attorney and has worked as an executive and consultant in many business sectors. After a career in professional hockey, he served as the President of the Detroit Red Wings, senior management at Ideal Technologies and co-founder, partner and president of the Capital Centre, LLC.

Mr. Evo holds a Liberal Arts Bachelor degree from the University of Western Ontario and received a J.D. from the University of Detroit.

ROBIN MARTIN, Ph.D.Senior Scientific Consultant

Robin Martin, Ph.D. has held a variety of global senior clinical scientific roles over 15 years at Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management. Beginning in 2002, Doctor Martin has worked in large multi-disciplinary global teams designing, launching and marketing medical devices such as: VERSAJET™ hydrosurgery debridement system, BIOBRANE™ temporary biosynthetic skin replacement, and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) systems such as RENASYS™ and PICO™ and building clinical evidence to support their use. He is widely published and is considered an expert in his field.

JANEEN KORINKOClinical Applications Manager

Board of Directors

TIMOTHY WOJCIECHOWSKI
Chairman

Mr. Wojciechowski is the Chief Executive Officer of Aatru. He brings 20 years of demonstrated start-up and technology development expertise in the areas of NPWT and LCD optical films . Mr. Wojciechowski held leadership positions at Micros Chip, served as CEO at Concast Standard, Trivium Technologies, Executive GM at Oglebay-Norton Advanced Materials, and is a co-inventor on more than 15 patents in NPWT and optical films.

Mr. Wojciechowski holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Cleveland State University.

RICHARD MIDDAUGH, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Inventor

Dr. Middaugh is the Chief Scientific Officer and a Director of Aatru. He held scientific positions of increasing management and leadership for 26 years at Energizer Battery. Dr. Middaugh was an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Northeastern University and the University of Kansas and previously served as a consultant to RBC Technologies and Revolt Technology, LTD.

Mr. Middaugh holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Harvard University and received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

RUSS DONDA

Executive-in-Residence for biosensor and medical technologies at the Great Lakes Innovation & Development Enterprise, Russ Donda has over 25 years of management experience at very early stage companies. He was the founding CEO of ViewRay Incorporated, a founding manager at Regeneration Technologies and a founding member and co-chair of investment review for angel group the Emergent Growth Fund.

JAMES HINDMAN

James M. Hindman served in various positions at Allergan, Inc., a multi-specialty healthcare company, from 1984 to March 2015, including most recently as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Allergan from August 2014 to March 2015. Jim currently serves on the boards of Millendo Therapeutics, Inc. in addition to Aatru Medical, LLC. Jim currently serves as a member of the Board of Regents at Loyola Marymount University, Accuray Inc. and Urovant Sciences and serves as a member of the Dean’s Executive Council for the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University.

THOMAS LASH
Secretary

Mr. Lash is the Chief Operating Officer of Aatru. He brings over 30 years of technology consultative sales and marketing with large corporations and start-ups, including serving as CEO for Micros Chip and COO at Trivium Technologies, Inc. Prior to his executive leadership roles, Mr. Lash had a variety of senior sales and marketing at EMC Corporation, Teradata, NCR Corporation, and AT&T.

Mr. Lash holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Affairs and Communications from Cleveland State University.

Medical Board of Directors

DAVID A. SPIVEY

Chairman
Current: Interim President of Trinity Health St. Mary’s in Georgia

JEFF USTIN, M.D.

Current: University Hospitals, MGH 1811

MICHAEL SCHENDEN, M.D., P.C.

Current: Beaumont Hospitals

ARLETTE PALO

Former: Estee Lauder

WHY USE NPWT FOR SURGICAL INCISION MANAGEMENT?

Incisional NPWT is estimated to reduce surgical site infections by up to 40% across all specialties1

The primary purpose of NPWT in surgical incision management is to reduce surgical site complications, such as infection and dehiscence.

Incision management with NPWT has a number of additional benefits in clinical practice including:

  • Removal of surface exudate
  • Reduction of post-op edema
  • Reduction of hematoma/seroma
  • Reduction of lateral tension Immobilization of wound edges

Surgical incision management may be appropriate for patients with co-morbidities that can affect wound healing, including but not limited to:

  • High body mass index
  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Compromised immune system
  • Advanced age

NPWT has been used on closed surgical incisions following a variety of different types of surgery, including:

  • Abdominal
  • Cardiothoracic
  • Colorectal
  • Obstetric
  • Orthopedic
  • Pediatric
  • Plastic/breast
  • Trauma
  • Vascular
RELEVANT REFERENCES:
  1. Shiroky, J. et al. The impact of negative pressure wound therapy for closed surgical incisions on surgical site infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Surgery. 2020;167:1001-1009.
  2. World Health Organization. (2016). Global guidelines for the prevention of surgical site infection. World Health Organization.
  3. Zwanenburg, P. R. et al. Meta-analysis, Meta-regression, and GRADE Assessment of Randomized and Nonrandomized Studies of Incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Versus Control Dressings for the Prevention of Postoperative Wound Complications. Ann. Surg. 1 (2019).
  4. Davis, S. et al. A pilot study on closed porcine incisions of a novel low-cost, solid-state NPWT device. Abstract presented at: Society for Advanced Wound Care (SAWC); Spring 2020; Virtual Conference.

WHAT IS NPSIMS?

NPSIMS delivers safe and effective NPWT through a unique application of the Ideal Gas Law

  • Patented mechanism of action with no moving parts.
  • Solid state oxygen management system delivers consistent NPWT (-80 mmHg +/- 20 mmHg) over 7 days.
  • Unique silicone gasket ensures a reliable vacuum seal is maintained.
  • Categorized by the US Food and Drug Administration as the first-in-class chemical pump-based NPWT device.

WHAT’S THE VALUE OF NPSIMS?

NPSIMS is effective, safe, simple, and economical

  • Proven continuous NPWT for up to 7 days per use.
  • Simple, all-in-one design with a patented easy activation system.
  • Safe, silent, and comfortable for patients.
  • Economical, with efficiencies in training, application, operating room time, and disposal.

DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY AND EASE OF USE

  • Unique silicone gasket self-seals to minimize risk of leaks.
  • No moving parts, batteries, buttons or manually adjusted pressure settings.
  • Pre-assembled to eliminate time-consuming and complex assembly.

DESIGNED FOR
SAFETY

  • No settings, no risk of over-pressure.
  • Defaults to an advanced wound dressing if pressure is lost.
  • Super-absorbent pad locks-in fluid, protects the skin, and enables visual assessment of exudate.
  • Simple visual indicators to guide and alert on performance

DESIGNED TO BE COMFORTABLE & DISCRETE

  • Silent operation enhances patient quality of life.
  • Lightweight, compact, and comfortable to wear.
  • Contoured to fit the body.
  • Elegantly designed to fit an active lifestyle.
  • Perfect for hospital use and inpatient to community transition.

Peel, stick and go!

WHAT DO CLINICIANS WHO’VE USED NPSIMS SAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE?

  • Very good product, easy to use, and good for patients.

    Plastic Surgeon

Background Information

The European Wound Management Association Symposium on Advanced Wound Care

DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY & EASE OF USE

  • Abstract accepted at both Conferences
  • e-Posters to be presented
  • Live Presentation by Aatru at Conferences

INCISIONAL PORCINE WOUND MODEL ANIMAL TRIAL

To establish in-vivo validation of the Aatru negative pressure wound therapy O2 scavenger mode of action, an animal study was conducted at University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Wound Healing Research Laboratory. Testing for:

  • Pressure Maintenance
  • Bacterial Count Assessment
  • Exudate Quantity Data
  • Observational Data

USABILITY HUMAN FACTORS STUDY

Usability and Human Factors validation tests were conducted to assess the design of the Aatru NPSIMS with respect to user input to the Design Specification and Requirements.

The Usability Test is intended to be a summative evaluation of qualitative investigations that are reported from observations of User interactions with the device’s user interfaces and the description of their experiences.

Resources

Instruction for Use

News

NPSIMS and Aatru in the news

Aatru Medical Awarded 1st Place in “Oral Abstracts”at SAWC Spring 2024

For Immediate Release: June 3, 2024

Aatru Medical Announces Clinical Study and Interim Analysis of their NPSIMS Negative Pressure Surgical Incision Management System

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2021

Aatru Medical Announces FDA Clearance and Commercial Launch of the NPSIMS – Negative Pressure Surgical Incision Management System

For Immediate Release: August 24, 2021

Aatru Medical Abstract Accepted for Presentation in Two Leading 2020 Wound Healing Conferences

For Immediate Release: August 18, 2020

Aatru Medical, LLC submits NPSIMS product to FDA for Class II Clearance and completes Series C funding

For Immediate Release: July 14, 2020

CONTACT

Contact us to learn more and try NPSIMS

Aatru Medical, LLC
1301 East 9th Street
Suite 2700
Cleveland, OH 44114
Ph: 216-303-6063