Imperative Care launches digital health company for stroke patients

Imperative Care, following its FDA clearance for its clot-removing hardware earlier this year, is now expanding into the realm of digital health with the launch of a new company focused on post-stroke recovery.

Named Kandu Health, the independent spinout will provide support to stroke patients during their recovery process. This will include remote clinical navigators, support groups, app-based educational programs, and tailored resources, all designed specifically for the weeks and months following acute interventions.

Tudor Jovin, M.D., chief of neurology at Cooper University Health Care, has joined Kandu as its chief medical officer. He explained that the Kandu platform acts as a bridge for stroke survivors, guiding them through their care plans even after leaving the hospital. Additionally, it offers healthcare teams valuable insights into patients' quality of life and long-term outcomes once they return home.

Imperative Care and Kandu estimate that around 800,000 people in the United States experience a stroke each year. While most survive, many require specialised rehabilitation care for months afterward. Unfortunately, approximately half of stroke patients end up back in the hospital within the first year due to recurrent strokes, infections, falls, and other injuries.

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired disability in the U.S., affecting approximately 8 million survivors and around 12 million caregivers and family members, according to Kandu.

Earlier this year, Imperative Care obtained FDA clearance for its Zoom RDL access system, a device that allows a catheter to enter the radial artery through the wrist before travelling to the brain to remove a stroke-causing blood clot. This approach provides clinicians with additional options for patients whose anatomy may complicate the more common method of accessing the femoral artery in the thigh.

The company also completed its first clinical cases with the Zoom RDL, demonstrating successful restoration of blood flow to the brain in under 20 minutes using a large-bore aspiration catheter.

Imperative Care previously raised $260 million in one of the largest venture capital rounds of 2021. Simultaneously, it re-acquired Truvic Medical, a clot-removal company that originated as a project within Imperative before being spun out as a wholly-owned subsidiary in early 2020. The series D funding will support the development of a network of companies, each addressing different aspects of stroke care throughout the entire patient journey.

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