b'DEVELOPING COMFORTABLE ANDSAFE INNOVATIONS FOR ANIMALS BLUELINE VETERINARY TECHNOLOGIESBlueline Veterinary Technologies Owner andIm a big advocate ofFounder Natalie Malkut is always looking for better ways to care for animals.patient comfort and safety.As a veterinarian technician at Colorado State University, Malkut worked with anesthetizedNATALIE MALKUT, Owner and Founder, Blueline Veterinary Technologies patients who must have their heart rates andfew companies on using Bluetooth to elimi-temperatures monitored. She didnt like usingnate multiple cords. She recently left CSU to alligator clips, because they are attachedfocus on growing her business and hopes her when patients are awake and pinch the skin,example will inspire others in the field.causing pain. Adhesive monitors designed to be applied to animals paws could fall offMalkut believes that if someone has an idea when the animal gets warm.or a dream, its there for a reason and they should pursue it. Shes hoping she can be It was just kind of frustrating, so I thought, howan example that spurs others in her field to about creating a boot that slides on their feetpioneer products that improve care.and you can attach the EKG monitor to the boot, she said. Im a big advocate of patientI really want to leave a mark on the industry comfort and safety. and create something that could benefit the patients but could also be the door opening She came up with the idea for BradyBoots, sili- for innovation as far as creating wearable cone boots equipped with EKG monitoring thatBluetooth monitoring products in the OR, insulate animals paws while they are anesthe- she said. I hope this opens the door for tized and presented it to CSUs business schoolother vet techs to take that step forward and to see whether it would support her efforts.present ideas and take that leap of trying to The university was intrigued by the idea andinvent a product. asked her to work with the 3D printing team toNatalie Malkut, Owner and Founder, Blueline Veterinary Technologiesdevelop a prototype for the product. The product produced by the 3D printer was too rough against the skin, so she found a manufacturer to make a silicone mold for the shell of the boots. Next, she needed EKG buttons, which turned out to be difficult to get for someone who is not an established medical device company. But she persevered and found a manufacturer in New Yorks fashion district to make them. They had just started making a line of medical EKG buttonsI was one of their first cus-tomers, Malkut said. Because Malkut was a university employee, CSU Strata assisted her with getting the patent for the technology. Malkut is working with aBradyBoots support patient comfort and safety2023-2024 BIOSCIENCE COLORADO 17'