Respiratory Motion Releases New Data on ExSpiron Pulmonary Monitor

Last year we told you about ExSpiron, a continuous minute ventilation monitor developed by Respiratory Motion Inc., a company out of Waltham, MA. The ExSpiron respiratory monitoring system is the first to provide continuous, non-invasive minute ventilation data in non-ventilated patients. The technology continuously and noninvasively measures lung volume against time, generating quantitative metrics for minute ventilation (the amount of air that enters/leaves the lungs every minute), respiratory rate (breaths per minute), and tidal volume (the volume of air in a single breath). This is important because unlike other vital functions, quantitative data on these parameters has not been previously available to physicians outside the operating room. Typical practice has been to count patient breaths occasionally and utilize oxygen saturation monitors that notify clinicians only after breathing has deteriorated. Such practice can be dangerous, particularly post-operatively. Just this past week, a perspectives piece in the New England Journal of Medicine noted the risks of post-surgery adverse events associated with sleep apnea and called for special protocols in this population. Other patients at risk of post-op or ICU respiratory compromise include the elderly and obese. Now, new data from studies conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts Medical Center and The University of Vermont show that the ExSpiron is able to report dangerous decreases in respiration ...
Source: Medgadget Anesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Source Type: news