Products
Problem
Neonatal respiratory distress is a term to describe breathing difficulties in newborns. Respiratory distress affects about 7% of all deliveries, primarily affecting premature infants due to their underdeveloped lungs.
Non-invasive breathing support methods such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) are often the first choice of treatment for respiratory distress. However, studies have found that there is significant variability in the pressures delivered by these systems. Clinicians currently have no objective feedback as to the pressure that is delivered to the patient and as a result, CPAP and HFNC failure rates remain unacceptably high (reported between 20-40%).
Non-invasive respiratory support failure can result in prolonged mechanical ventilation, further respiratory complications and longer stays in the NICU. The uncertainty in treatment also means that there are no consistent clinical guidelines across NICUs and there remains no clear consensus on the optimal level of support, or how to best wean infants off non-invasive respiratory support.
“We don’t know what pressure is actually being delivered to the lungs.”
- Neonatologist
“We are currently making decisions on best-guessed data.”
- Neonatologist
“A baby will open their mouth and suddenly you lose all that pressure.”
- NICU Respiratory Manager
Ventora Airway Pressure Monitor
Ventora Medical is developing an airway pressure monitor for neonatal patients. By combining pressure monitoring with enteral feeding, Ventora’s device aims to enable accurate, real-time monitoring of the upper airway pressure without adding additional invasiveness to treatment and with minimal procedural change. Through a combination of hardware and software solutions, Ventora’s device is designed to assist clinical decision making and empower clinicians to provide proactive respiratory treatment.
Key features:
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Aims to provide accurate, real-time monitoring of the mean airway pressure without added invasiveness
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Measures pressure in the infant's airway, while competitor products measure pressures external to the patient
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Dual-function device enables enteral feeding in addition to airway pressure monitoring
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Intuitive and easy to use
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Alarms to alert clinicians and nurses when under- and over-pressure events occur
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Designed to support evidence-based, proactive respiratory treatment
Disclaimer: This is a product render for visualisation purposes only. The device is still currently under development.
Benefits
Clinical Benefits
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Reduced incidence of non-invasive respiratory support failure
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Reduced incidence and impact of further respiratory complications
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Improved patient outcomes
Health Economic Benefits
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Reduced patient length of stay in the NICU
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Less rescue procedures and mechanical ventilation
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Decreased time burden on nurses
Disclaimer: These are the benefits that Ventora's airway pressure monitoring device aims to achieve. The device is still currently under development.
