Health technology firm Royal Philips has introduced a new integrated multi-component solution, VitalMinds, a non-pharmacological approach that will help reduce delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Image: Philips VitalSky personalized light therapy system encourages natural sleep-wake rhythm for patients in the ICU. Photo: courtesy of Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Delirium, a serious disturbance in mental abilities that may lead to confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment, occurs in 30% to 80% of all ICU patients.
VitalSky, which is a personalized light therapy system, is a major component of the approach developed for clinical use in the ICU.
Recently, the company secured CE mark approval for VitalSky system. It is commercialized in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Sweden, and plans are underway to launch in other European countries over the next two years.
VitalSky light therapy system offers a circadian-effective program to support the sleep-wake rhythm of patients. The program is said to simulate the natural progression of daylight using a spectrum of glare-free white light provided by a large luminous LED ceiling.
The light conditions can be personalized as per the requirements of the individual patient. The system’s features comprise of additional option of playing calming nature scenes in full-color, soft-focus video and the future enablement of cognitive training.
Via portable user interface, the various programs and settings can be selected and adjusted quickly and easily.
Philips monitoring analytics business leader Felix Baader said: “With VitalMinds, we have developed a new concept that combines light and sound management, circadian-effective light therapy, staff training and consulting services, to help hospitals reduce delirium and improve patient recovery in the ICU.”
Separately, the company has also launched IntelliSpace Radiation Oncology, an intelligent patient management solution designed to manage complexity, improve efficiency and achieve operational excellence in radiotherapy departments.
IntelliSpace Radiation Oncology is an open and vendor-agnostic platform that will offer comprehensive interoperability across the hospital IT environment. The new patient management solution can be customized as per the requirements of a department and each clinician.
In addition, the company introduced Radiation Oncology Practice Management, which is a consultancy service that helps radiotherapy departments to identify and act on data-driven insights achieve operational excellence.