New Study Shows Wearable Ventilation Technology Significantly Improved Outcomes in Patients with Moderate to Severe Respiratory Disease

MONTREAL, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- New data were presented today demonstrating that use of a wearable ventilator system in COPD patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency is associated with significant improvement in healthcare utilization and overall respiratory health status.

Study findings were released in a session titled "Health Care Utilization and Respiratory Health Status in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency Following Addition of a Portable Non-Invasive Ventilator to the Treatment Regimen" at the annual American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST 2015) meeting taking place from October 24-28 in Montreal.  

The data were presented by Neil MacIntyre, M.D., F.A.A.R.C., of Duke University Medical Center and included an economic analysis led by Kevin Farberow, DHSc, MBA, SCIO Health Analytics^® and Richard J. Morishige, M.S., R.R.T., R.A.C., of Clinical Research Consulting, Castro Valley, California.

"Patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency frequently suffer from exacerbations, resulting in increased physician office visits, time in the emergency room and hospital admissions," said Dr. MacIntyre, a leading pulmonologist affiliated with Respiratory Care Services at Duke University Medical Center. "The data analyzed in this study further reinforce current clinical evidence that wearable ventilator technology can improve healthcare utilization measures across a wide spectrum of parameters, help patients with chronic respiratory disease better manage their conditions and have the potential to significantly decrease healthcare expenditures."

The study evaluated 16 stable oxygen-dependent patients with moderate to very severe COPD who were using a one-pound wearable Non-Invasive Open Ventilation (NIOV™) System from Breathe Technologies of Irvine, Calif., as a complement to their standard medical care regimen.

A retrospective chart analysis was conducted for up to one year prior to intervention, capturing diagnosis and clinical characteristics, respiratory function, physician and emergency department visits, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) days and mechanical ventilation days. Mean health care utilization data and estimated cost reductions, pre- and post-NIOV, are summarized in table 1:

Table 1: Health Care Utilization & Projected Cost Data Pre- and Post-NIOV

In addition to statistically significant health care utilization across four of five health care utilization measures (emergency room visits, hospital days, hospital ICU days and mechanical ventilations), researchers estimated total cost reductions across the study population of between 68 and 96 percent. Office visits were the only measure that did not achieve significant decreases in frequency or cost.

Additionally, results from two validated patient reported measures of respiratory status were collected. COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scores improved significantly in the post-NIOV implementation period (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0001, respectively).

"Treating patients with COPD has significant clinical and economic ramifications for our entire healthcare system," said Dr. Farberow. "The research results indicate there is an exciting opportunity for cost savings related to COPD, while also achieving more independent mobility for those suffering from chronic respiratory insufficiency."

The Breathe NIOV System is a one-pound non-invasive mechanical ventilator that can be used in homecare and institutional settings. More information on the NIOV System from Breathe Technologies is available at http://www.breathetechnologies.com/patient/NIOV/system.

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About COPD

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a progressive disease that makes breathing difficult and accounts for billions of dollars in related comorbidities and workforce absenteeism. A recent study concluded that total national medical costs attributable to COPD and its related comorbidities were estimated at $32.1 billion, and total absenteeism costs were $3.9 billion, representing COPD-attributable costs of $36 billion. The findings in that study also demonstrated that an estimated 16.4 million days of work were lost because of COPD.^vii

About SCIO Health Analytics^®

Based in West Hartford, Connecticut, SCIO Health Analytics^® is a leading health analytics solution and services company, serving more than 50 health care organizations including 15 of the top 25 insurers that represent more than 80 million members, four of the top five PBMs, and clients in 30 countries for 8 of the top 15 global pharmaceutical companies. Through the use of integrated healthcare data, proprietary algorithms and technologies, SCIO focuses on predictive analytics, business services and actionable insights in the areas of payment integrity, risk and care management, life sciences, opportunity analysis and incentive design, consumer segmentation and engagement, and ACO and network analytics. SCIO's analytics solutions transform information into evidence, helping healthcare organizations effectively manage the care of populations, improve consumer engagement and drive better health outcomes. For more information, visit www.sciohealthanalytics.com.

ⁱ Dalal, A.A., Christensen, L., Liu, F., Riedel, A.A., 2010. Direct costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among managed care patients. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 5, 341–349. doi:10.2147/COPD.S13771
ⁱⁱ Dalal, A.A., Shah, M., D'souza, A.O., Rane, P., 2010. Costs of inpatient and emergency department care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in an elderly Medicare population. Journal of Medical Economics 13, 591–598. doi:10.3111/13696998.2010.521734
ⁱⁱⁱ http://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st318/stat318.pdf^iv Wier, L M., Elixhauser, A., Pfuntner, A., & Au, D H. (2011, February). Overview of Hospitalizations among Patients with COPD, 2008. Retrieved from http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb106.jsp 
^v Dalal, A.A., Shah, M., D'Souza, A.O., Rane, P., 2011. Costs of COPD exacerbations in the emergency department and inpatient setting. Respiratory Medicine 105, 454–460. doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2010.09.003
^vi Nava, S., Evangelisti, I., Rampulla, C., Compagnoni, M.L., Fracchia, C., Rubini, F., 1997. Human and financial costs of noninvasive mechanical ventilation in patients affected by copd and acute respiratory failure. Chest 111, 1631–1638. doi:10.1378/chest.111.6.1631
^vii Ford ES, et al. Total and state-specific medical and absenteeism costs of COPD among adults aged ≥ 18 years in the United States for 2010 and projections through 2020. Chest. 2015;147(1):31-45.

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