The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Respiratory Motion's ExSpiron respiratory monitoring system, designed for monitoring breathing abnormalities often associated with potentially lethal respiratory depression.
Non-invasive ExSpiron system measures and displays data of lung volume against time, 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), by the sensors placed on the chest of the patient.
The data provided will enable healthcare clinicians to detect the changes earlier and reduce catastrophic events including respiratory depression and cardiopulmonary arrest.
The company said respiratory depression occurs partly in response to medications such as narcotic painkillers and sedatives commonly administered after surgery.
Respiratory Motion CEO Jenny Freeman said the company has been created to develop technologies to assist clinicians in their fight against respiratory depression and help improve patient safety.
"As a cardiothoracic surgeon, I am all too aware of the grave threat that respiratory depression presents post-operatively or in other scenarios where respiration is compromised such as with opioid therapy or in certain disease states," Freeman added.
"Respiratory Motion’s ExSpiron provides the same volume metrics that physicians have come to rely on to manage patients on mechanical ventilators.
"We have seen significant physician interest in our technology and are pleased to be providing a new, quantitative tool to help address this critically important challenge that is faced every day in caring for patients following surgery."