Medical advancements like the X-ray, CT scan, MRI and ultrasound changed medicine forever, allowing doctors to peek inside the human body. But until now, there hasn't been a reliable way to monitor tissue as it heals after surgeries with many patients suffering life-threatening complications. Gastrointestinal surgeries, in particular, see up to 10% of patients develop severe complications with up to 40% of those proving fatal.

Exero Medical is changing that with xBar, a temporary tissue sensor implanted right at the surgical site. The xBar diagnostic system collects data and alerts medical providers to trouble early — saving lives, avoiding follow-up surgeries and shortening hospital stays. A study on xBar's effectiveness found the technology reliably detected anastomotic leaks at least three days earlier than the current standard of care.

The technology has been granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Breakthrough Designation for medical devices that provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of potentially life-threatening or irreversible conditions or diseases.