Access Vascular Appoints Medtech Veteran Heather Simonsen to Board of Directors

Access Vascular, Inc. (AVI) today announced the appointment of Heather Simonsen to its Board of Directors, strengthening the company's mission to eliminate life-threatening complications associated with vascular access.

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Heather Simonsen (Photo: Business Wire)

Millions of patients suffer every year from infections, blood clots, and vessel irritation caused by intravenous catheters. These complications lead to extended hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and – in severe cases – loss of life. Access Vascular's proprietary MIMIX® technology aims to make these risks obsolete.

Simonsen, who is President and CEO of Boomerang Medical, is a recognized leader in the medtech industry, with a proven track record of steering venture-funded startups to commercial success. Her career spans leadership roles in multiple medical device companies, including PQ Bypass, which she led to a successful exit in 2021, and executive positions at Abbott and Johnson & Johnson.

“Heather's appointment to our board adds invaluable strategic insight and expertise,” said James Biggins, President and CEO of Access Vascular. “Her three decades in healthcare, including more than 20 years of experience in advancing vascular technologies from clinical stages through commercialization, will be crucial in shaping our growth strategy and maximizing shareholder value.”

AVI developed a novel hydrophilic biomaterial (HBM), MIMIX®, that mimics the body’s natural chemistry to evade the foreign body response and its associated complications. Data from studies of catheters made using MIMIX (the HydroPICC®, HydroPICC® Dual, and HydroMID® device) show lower rates of the most common and costly complications associated with vascular access devices.

"Access Vascular's approach isn't just incremental – it's transformative," Simonsen said. "By developing catheters that the body recognizes as 'self' rather than foreign, we can potentially eliminate the root cause of most IV complications. This technology has the potential to dramatically improve patient outcomes. I'm honored to join AVI's distinguished board and look forward to working alongside this talented group to guide the company through its next phase of growth and innovation."

Clinical data shows that AVI's FDA-cleared devices result in 6 times fewer complications than standard catheters while in vitro data demonstrates reduced bacterial adhesion by 99.99%.^1,2 For patients, this could mean fewer infections, less time in the hospital, and reduced risk of long-term health issues.

About Access Vascular

Access Vascular was founded to address the most common and costly complications of intravenous therapy: infection, thrombosis, and phlebitis. Taking a foundationally different approach to thrombus reduction, the company manufactures intravenous catheters from a hydrophilic material. Engineered to mimic the body’s natural chemistry, Access Vascular catheters are designed to evade the foreign body response and complications that come with it. Our award-winning, FDA-cleared products are HydroPICC® and HydroMID®. For more information, please visit our website, and follow us on LinkedIn.

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1</sup> Bunch J. A retrospective assessment of peripheral midline failures focusing on catheter composition. J InfusNurs. Sept/Oct 2022; 45(5):270-27

² LeRoy, K. J. 2023 Association for Vascular Access Scientific Meeting: Poster Abstracts. Journal of the Association for Vascular Access 1 May 2024; 29 (2): 51–66. doi: https://doi.org/10.2309/1557-1289-29.2.51

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