Steve Reynolds, MD, to Present Encouraging Preclinical Results with Lungpacer Medical's Catheter-based Diaphragm Pacing System
--ATS Oral Presentation of preclinical results utilizing Lungpacer's Diaphragm Pacing System, which is designed to minimize diaphragm atrophy for mechanically ventilated ICU patients--
BURNABY, British Columbia, May 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Lungpacer Medical, Inc. announced that preclinical data related to the use of its transvenous Diaphragm Pacing System will be presented by Steve Reynolds, MD at the "Frontiers in Assisted Ventilation" Symposium on Tuesday, May 19th during the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Meeting in Denver, Colorado.
"We are excited to present data from this preclinical study, which indicate the potential for our novel therapy to help critically ill patients that are susceptible to ventilator induced diaphragm dysfunction and ventilator induced lung injury," said Dr. Andy Hoffer, Lungpacer's founder and Chief Scientific Officer.
Noteworthy results from this preclinical study include:
- direct comparison of "standard of care" sedated and ventilated control subjects vs. sedated, ventilated and paced subjects, during multi-day trials,
- demonstration that pacing the diaphragm may protect it from the rapid and profound atrophy that occurred in control subjects, and
- evidence that the endurance of diaphragmatic breathing after ~60 hours of sedation and ventilation did not decline in paced subjects, while the endurance declined rapidly in the control subjects.
These results lend strong support to the hypothesis that pacing the diaphragm in ICU patients may prevent the onset of ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction, and has the potential to enable many treated patients to wean sooner and more successfully from mechanical ventilation.
About Ventilator-induced Diaphragm Atrophy and Lung Injury
Mechanical ventilation (MV) can be life-saving for many critically ill patients. However, MV can also be harmful to the patient as continued MV and sedation interrupt the normal activation of the diaphragm muscle, which then atrophies rapidly and profoundly (known as Ventilator Induced Diaphragm Dysfunction; VIDD).
In addition, positive-pressure ventilation often damages the lungs (Ventilator Induced Lung Injury; VILI) and leads to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP).
VIDD, VILI and VAP are key contributing factors to the frequent difficulty in weaning patients from the ventilator. About 31% of patients on MV are categorized as 'difficult to wean' and approximately 10% require prolonged weaning periods greater than 7 days. These patients alone account for 40% of total ICU patient-days and become the most expensive in-patients in North American hospitals. When a critically ill patient becomes ventilator-dependent, the risk of dying in the ICU increases 7-fold.
About Lungpacer Medical
Lungpacer Medical is a preclinical stage medical device company pioneering the development of neurostimulation systems designed to reduce complications by preserving the integrity and strength of the diaphragm muscle in critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation. The proprietary Lungpacer system is designed to activate the diaphragm using a temporary, minimally invasive, transvascular nerve stimulation approach that is expected to save many lives, improve patient outcomes and greatly reduce hospital care costs.
The Lungpacer Diaphragm Pacing System is at this time an investigational device only and is not for sale in any country.
For additional information about Lungpacer, please visit www.Lungpacer.com.
SOURCE Lungpacer Medical
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