Presentation at American Thoracic Society Annual Meeting Further Demonstrates Mechanism of Action for Provent® Sleep Apnea Therapy

BELMONT, Calif., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventus Medical, Inc. today announced that David Rapoport, M.D., Director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the NYU School of Medicine, presented data showing that Provent® Sleep Apnea Therapy works through multiple mechanisms of action to improve sleep disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The poster was presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Denver, Colorado.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110209/SF45785-a)

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110209/SF45785-b)

Obese patients suffering from OSA often have reduced functional residual capacity (FRC), which refers to the volume of air remaining in the lungs after exhaling. It is also known that a smaller upper airway diameter can contribute to obstructive sleep apnea. The data presented today demonstrate that Provent Therapy produces multiple physiologic benefits on the lungs and upper airway in awake subjects that address these issues. Specifically, patients using Provent Therapy showed a significant increase in volume of air remaining in the lungs after exhaling as well as a trend towards increased upper airway diameter which was maintained until the start of the next inspiration. Furthermore, preliminary data showed there was a mild but significant increase in the level of end-tidal pCO2 during both sleep and wakefulness, which could be helpful in maintaining airway patency during breathing. The study evaluated patients by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without Provent Therapy.

"The results of this study help demonstrate the multiple mechanisms through which we believe Provent Therapy works in treating sleep disordered breathing," said Philip Westbrook, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Ventus Medical and Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We continue to conduct clinical studies in order to further validate that Provent Therapy provides a clinically proven, non-invasive alternative for many patients with obstructive sleep apnea."

About Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep disordered breathing. It is estimated that 40 million people in the United States suffer from sleep apnea. In people with OSA, the airway collapses during sleep when the muscles, that hold the airway open, relax. People with this disorder can stop breathing while sleeping---in some cases hundreds of times each night---usually for periods of ten seconds or longer. Importantly, many recent studies have shown that people with OSA experience higher rates of car accidents as well as serious health problems including high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

Unfortunately, OSA often goes undiagnosed and therefore untreated. Of the patients that do receive treatment, most are prescribed a CPAP machine. CPAP is extremely effective at treating OSA if worn as directed. However, more than half of all patients stop regular treatment with CPAP due to its cumbersome nature. Provent Therapy was developed to help patients who do not use CPAP regularly and who can benefit from a non-invasive and clinically effective treatment alternative.

About Provent Sleep Apnea Therapy

Provent Therapy is a prescription device indicated for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. It is an easy-to-use, disposable treatment that works across mild, moderate and severe OSA. Provent Therapy is cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and numerous peer-reviewed published studies have demonstrated that Provent Therapy improves sleep apnea and oxygenation. The device works through Ventus Medical's proprietary MicroValve technology that uses the patient's own breathing to create expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP) to keep the airway open during sleep. For more information, please visit www.proventtherapy.com.

About Ventus Medical

Ventus Medical is a privately-held medical device company dedicated to providing non-invasive medical solutions for people with sleep disordered breathing. Based on its innovative MicroValve technology and patented designs, Ventus Medical has developed a unique line of clinically-proven medical devices to address the continuum of sleep disorders from severe obstructive sleep apnea to snoring. Ventus Medical devices work by creating expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP). The company markets FDA-cleared, prescription-only Provent Therapy, a discreet, easy-to-use nasal device, for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and is developing an over-the-counter device for snoring.

SOURCE Ventus Medical, Inc.