Orpyx Medical Technologies
A Multi-Line Defense Against Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Every successful businesswoman/man has had ‘that one moment’—an experience, an epiphany, a personal challenge—that inspired them to become an entrepreneur. Dr. Breanne Everett, the co-founder, president, and CEO of Orpyx Medical Technologies, had hers while doing her medical residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery after completing her MD. “Every day, I would see an alarming amount of diabetic patients that were suffering from severe complications caused by peripheral neuropathy (loss of sensation in feet),” she says. The lack of an effective solution that enables such patients to properly manage the disease motivated Dr. Everett to come up with a remarkably simple idea: a sensor-based shoe insole that takes pressure readings and sends signals to an electronic display to remind the patient to shift position. Deciding to bring this idea to life, she co-founded Orpyx Medical Technologies, a medical devices company, with a group of like-minded individuals in 2010.

Orpyx has developed a proprietary pressure sensor platform designed to empower patients to better care for their medical conditions, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Beyond diabetic foot monitoring and amputation prevention application, the platform can also be leveraged to multiple applications in pressure sore prevention, athletic performance optimization, and injury prevention. “What makes us unique is the fact that ‘we measure what matters.’ By measuring pressure, activity, and temperature we take a preventative approach, to address issues before tissue damage occurs. In contrast to other diabetic foot management solutions, which are only focused on temperature sensing, we believe that the first line of defense is pressure sensing,” asserts Dr. Everett. To that end, the firm’s core product line, the Orpyx® SI Sensory Insoles with remote patient monitoring, help individuals manage and prevent diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and limb loss through advanced foot sensor technology and real-time analytics.

Notably, the Orpyx SI sensory insoles are custom-made for every individual and designed to effortlessly capture plantar pressure, temperature, and activity data throughout the day. “We make the insoles by either taking an impression or scan of the patient’s foot. With the 3D information, we then create an insole that is tailored to the surface of the patient’s foot and embed our technology in it,” explains Dr. Everett. The insole is paired with an app on the patient’s smartphone and provides real-time audiovisual alerts and offloading instructions when sustained, high-pressure levels occur.

In other words, the technology allows the patient to immediately take action to resolve high-pressure areas that may lead to tissue breakdown. For example, the patient could be sitting in a particular position, putting consistent pressure on one area of their foot. When sufficient thresholds are met, the app immediately notifies the individual where the problem is and walks them through the various steps to prevent DFUs.

What makes us unique is the fact that ‘we measure what matters.’ By measuring pressure, activity and temperature we take a preventative approach to address issues before tissue damage occurs

What’s more? The data collected by the Orpyx insole is stored in a cloud-based back-end that is secure and HIPAA compliant. Consequently, a healthcare provider can access this information via a dashboard, monitor their patient’s sensory data in real-time, address actions needed, record notes, and guide a care plan that keeps the feet healthy. This capability of Orpyx proves to be a boon, especially in today’s COVID-hit world. “Physicians can ensure continuity of care in a remote-setting. They can proactively make treatment decisions to help their patients,” mentions Dr. Everett.

Recalling an instance, Dr. Everett shares the story of a male patient who suffered from multiple DFUs for over 20 years. Over the period, the patient had over two dozen ulcers, multiple partial amputations, and has never gone more than two months without an ulcer. But ever since he started using the Orpyx SI Sensory Insoles—four years now—the patient hasn’t had a single wound. “Our solution is not just about the minimization of foot ulcers but the prevention of amputation and the preservation of mobility in people living with diabetes,” professes Dr. Everett. End-customers can get their hands on the Orpyx SI Sensory Insoles via two means: either through prescriptions given by their physician/podiatrist or a transaction initiated by health insurers.

Having successfully operated for almost a decade now, Orpyx is the perfect partner for companies/individuals striving to prevent diabetic-related complications. For the road ahead, the firm has two major plans. One is bundling the solution together with more holistic diabetes care offerings such as continuous blood glucose monitoring or blood pressure monitoring. “This would facilitate different modalities of remote care—all in one place,” affirms Dr. Everett. Alongside, the firm is also looking to extend the capabilities of its offering to other preventative healthcare applications that would provide measurements of key physiological parameters.

According to industry research and studies, 25 percent of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers over their lifetime, and one in five of them experience complications that lead to amputation. Orpyx is at the forefront of technology that not only prevents DFUs from occurring but also decreases costs for the health system.