Jabil partners with medtech firm on blood clot prevention device

Surgery patients who face the risk of blood clots could be among the first beneficiaries of a medical technology that Jabil Inc. has helped develop.

Jabil (NYSE: JBL), a manufacturing services business and St. Petersburg’s largest company, worked with Recovery Force, a Fishers, Indiana medical technology firm, to develop a wearable device, a wrap with woven fibers embedded with nickel titanium. The wrap provides compression to prevent blood clots, reduce post-operative pain and alleviate joint pain and sore muscles, the company said.

Current compression device (left) and the Recovery Force wrap

It’s an alternative to conventional devices, which require pumps and cords to tether patients to their beds and restrict mobility.

The Recovery Force device has the potential to cut healthcare costs by improving patient compliance and outcomes, said Matt Wainscott, the company’s co-founder and executive vice president. Insurers increasingly are looking at outcomes as a basis for reimbursement to healthcare providers.

The company’s first product is a compression back device and is targeted for release in the first half of 2019. It will be followed by a calf device later in the year.

Recovery Force announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic earlier this year for the development, assessment and optimization of the medical devices, Jabil said in a case study.

The technology also could be used for by sports enthusiasts and athletes to provide enhanced circulation during warm-up and recovery.

Recovery Force won U.S. Food & Drug Administration clearance to market its product in 2017.

Recovery Force selected Jabil as a manufacturing partner because Jabil had experience with both textiles and electronics.

“When we left a meeting in St. Pete, we realized these guys could help us take our product to the next level,” Wainscott said in a video on Jabil’s website.

Jabil’s 2015 acquisition of Clothing+, a smart fabric company, gave it expertise in e-textiles, the case study said. Jabil also called on staff in its Nypro Healthcare division as well as its Green Point unit, which designs and manufactures plastic and metal parts for consumers and mobile products.

Recovery Force is stating with low-volume production but can scale quickly, according to Plastics Today.

In addition to the current products, there are 15 devices in the development pipeline.

Recovery Force is working with Jabil to develop technologies for treating upper-body extremities. Footwear products for diabetics and people with plantar fasciitis are seen as another business opportunity, Plastics Today said.