Sutter Health is bringing a groundbreaking wearable ultrasound device to three more Northern California hospitals. The health system is rolling out FloPatch — the world’s first wireless, wearable Doppler ultrasound device — at Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, and the Berkeley campus of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. This expansion builds on Sutter Health’s commitment to advancing personalized sepsis treatment and safer IV fluid management for critically ill patients.
What Is FloPatch and How Does It Work?
FloPatch is an FDA-cleared, wearable ultrasound patch developed by Flosonics Medical. Care teams place the small device on a patient’s neck, and it delivers a hemodynamic assessment within minutes. Moreover, clinicians can apply it repeatedly to check whether additional IV fluids are likely to help the patient.
Crucially, FloPatch does not require specialized ultrasound training. Any member of the care team can use it directly at the bedside. As a result, critical fluid assessments become faster and more accessible — without waiting for a specialist or delaying care.
Why Personalized Fluid Management Matters in Sepsis
The Risk of Fluid Overload
Giving IV fluids early is a standard part of treating sepsis — a life-threatening condition triggered by the body’s extreme response to infection. However, not every patient responds well to more fluids. Studies show that nearly one-third of patients with sepsis or septic shock do not benefit from additional IV fluid. In those cases, excess fluid builds up in the lungs and other tissues. This raises the risk of serious complications and often extends hospital stays.
Therefore, clinicians need accurate, real-time data to decide how much fluid each patient truly needs. FloPatch provides exactly that — objective bedside information that guides individualized treatment rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Three New Bay Area Hospitals Join the Expansion
Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame)
Dr. Dieter Bruno, chief medical executive at Mills-Peninsula, highlighted the technology’s impact on critical care. “This technology helps clinicians act faster and more precisely,” he said. “It reduces complications, shortens hospital stays, and improves outcomes.” Furthermore, he emphasized that earlier intervention leads to safer, more personalized care for patients in the community.
Sutter Solano Medical Center (Vallejo)
Dr. Gurpreet Dhanoa, chief medical executive at Sutter Solano, stressed the importance of precision in critical care. “By expanding access to wearable ultrasound technology like FloPatch, we give clinicians better insight into how each patient responds in real time,” he noted. This approach supports safer, more individualized treatment decisions — especially during high-demand periods such as flu season.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center — Berkeley Campus
The Berkeley campus joins a growing network of Sutter facilities integrating FloPatch into their sepsis care protocols. Together, these three additions strengthen Sutter Health’s position as a regional leader in evidence-based sepsis management.
FloPatch in the Emergency Department
Time is critical when a patient presents with sepsis. In the emergency department, conditions change rapidly, and every minute matters. Tiffany Wallace, emergency department manager at Sutter Solano, explained the device’s practical value: “FloPatch gives our teams quick, actionable information at the bedside. That helps us tailor treatment, avoid unnecessary risks, and focus our resources where they make the biggest difference.”
Additionally, Gigi Guan, sepsis coordinator at Mills-Peninsula, described FloPatch as a valuable decision-support tool. “It provides objective, real-time data that complements clinical assessment,” she said. “This lets us balance early resuscitation with avoiding unnecessary interventions, so patients receive care that is both timely and appropriate.”
Across both hospitals, clinicians report that FloPatch reduces reliance on guesswork and supports more confident, data-driven decisions — particularly in the fast-moving environment of the emergency department and the ICU.
Expanding Access During Peak Flu Season
California is currently experiencing a moderately severe flu season. The Bay Area, in particular, is reporting some of the highest flu activity in the state. Notably, studies show that sepsis is among the most common complications in flu-related hospitalizations — occurring in nearly one in five cases.
During such high-demand periods, tools that help clinicians optimize fluid decisions are especially critical. Consequently, the timing of Sutter Health’s expansion is strategic. By deploying FloPatch ahead of and during peak respiratory illness periods, the health system equips its care teams with real-time insight precisely when patient volumes are highest.
Setting a New Standard for Sepsis Care
Jon-Emile Kenny, MD, chief medical officer and co-founder of Flosonics Medical, praised Sutter Health’s leadership in this space. “Sutter Health continues to demonstrate that it is a leader in sepsis care innovation,” he said. “Expanding access across the Bay Area underscores the value of dynamic assessments, which are evidence-based and improve patient outcomes.”
Beyond individual patient outcomes, the expansion also aims to reduce unnecessary ICU admissions, limit avoidable complications from fluid overload, and optimize resource utilization across facilities. In doing so, Sutter Health is not only improving care quality — it is actively shaping the future standard of sepsis resuscitation in California.
