Philips Launches Novel Non-invasive Ventilator to Monitor COPD Patients Remotely

Royal Philips has launched a non-invasive ventilator, BiPAP A40 EFL, to remotely monitor patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and help them to breathe easier.

The device is already available in some European countries, and its expansion to the rest of Europe is expected in the next year. BiPAP A40 EFL is not yet available in the U.S. market.

More than half of COPD patients experience expiratory flow limitation (EFL), according to Philips, which means a marked reduction in the amount of air exhaled from the lungs. The condition is insensitive to expiratory driving pressure.

COPD patients with EFL can become hypercapnic — having abnormally high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the blood. These patients are more often hospitalized to resolve EFL-related problems and have increased mortality rates.

However, current EFL detection methods are invasive or unable to track breath-to-breath changes.

“EFL often goes undetected, meaning patients don’t receive the care they need to improve their disease,” Eli Diacopoulos, respiratory care business leader at Philips, said in a press release.

To address these problems, a novel ventilator was designed so clinicians could remotely monitor and accurately identify EFL.

“BiPAP A40 EFL aims to revolutionize COPD care solutions,” Diacopoulos said. “Clinicians can now detect EFL in hypercapnic COPD patients at the point of care, ensure personalized patient treatment at home and monitor care remotely.”

When used at home, the device connects to doctors’ smartphones or computers through Philips Care Orchestrator, a respiratory care management system which can also detect sleep apnea.

The system allows healthcare professionals to analyze the information provided by the device and respond accordingly. Doctors can therefore make decisions more quickly, with patients better screened and given homecare treatment for EFL to help ease their breathing.

The ventilator, based on Philips proprietary and clinically validated ExpiraFlow technology, continuously adjusts pressure based on patient needs.

“ExpiraFlow Technology represents a shift in the paradigm of ventilator COPD management toward more personalized therapy, which automatically optimizes ventilation to the individual needs of the patient,” said Peter Calverley, MD, professor at the Institute of Aging and Chronic Disease at the University of Liverpool.

“By monitoring the presence of EFL on a breath-by-breath basis, the A40 EFL system can automatically adjust therapy pressures to ensure efficient lung emptying and better gas exchange,” Calverley said. “This new focus allows us to consider individual differences in lung mechanics and gas exchange when managing complex respiratory patients.”

BiPAP A40 EFL, therefore, may be a more effective homecare treatment and help patients avoid hospital visits. Upon treatment, patients can experience a decrease in their blood CO2 levels and symptoms, and feel more comfortable.