History

Every year millions of blood samples has to be retaken - for no reason

Dr Karlsson’s idea came from wanting to help patients

“In the beginning, I saw it as a test tube with an associated analysis result. But today I see the whole picture. I see the huge consequences hemolysis has on the entire patient flow.”

Dr Mathias Karlsson, a physician and founder of HemCheck, has worked both as a nurse and a doctor. He attended Karolinska Institute where he wrote his dissertation on the diagnosis of newborn children.

Healthcare has a lot to do with flow. Staff members plan their shifts with a constant eye on their list of priorities. A blood sample that needs to be changed due to hemolysis not only stops work, but also delays important decisions affecting the patient.

The idea of eliminating hemolysis in healthcare was born out of frustration. It was during his work with newborn children that Dr Mathias Karlsson witnessed the negative effects hemolysis could have on the entire healthcare system. Mathias needed quick and accurate analytical responses to provide care for his small patients. In the case of hemolytic blood samples, an important part of the puzzle went missing when the laboratory could not give the results from the blood tests – and this part was highly important to determine the right treatment or if the treatment would have the desired effect.

In 2010 Mathias founded HemCheck together with Hjalmar Didrikson, Alfvén and Didrikson Invest. What began as an idea then became an invention and from there it was developed and refined by a dedicated team of people.

The company’s vision became reality and resulted in the solution that is available today: Helge® – the hemolysis test. And the name Helge? “Hemolysis level gauge equipment” of course.