Ventora Medical Pty Ltd

Project Title: Helping Premature Babies Breathe - Development and Clinical Translation of an Airway Pressure Monitor to Improve Respiratory Support Treatment for Neonatal Patients

Respiratory distress is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns and remains the leading cause of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Respiratory distress primarily affects preterm infants due to their underdeveloped lungs but even term infants can be affected by the condition, with approximately 10 per cent of all newborns requiring some form of breathing support after birth.

Non-invasive breathing support methods such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) are often the first-line treatment for respiratory distress as they avoid the risks associated with intubation and mechanical ventilation. However, there are a number of limitations associated with these systems. Their non-invasive nature means that they are susceptible to various sources of leaks. Additionally, as the nasal passage has considerable resistance, pressure is often not translated to the airway. For CPAP, this means the set pressure is rarely maintained and for HFNC, there is no pressure delivery feedback at all. This uncertainty of pressure delivery has resulted in varied guidelines across NICUs and a wide range of clinical outcomes.

Failure rates of current non-invasive respiratory support systems remain alarmingly high, at 20-40 per cent, and the consequences of such failure include a significantly higher risk of morbidity and mortality. An unmet need exists to improve non-invasive breathing support for neonatal patients.

Ventora Medical is addressing this need by developing an airway pressure monitor for neonatal patients on non-invasive respiratory support. The device aims to provide objective feedback of the delivered pressure to enable clinicians to provide proactive and tailored respiratory treatment. By improving the delivery of non-invasive respiratory support, Ventora’s device aims to reduce failure rates, decrease length of time on respiratory support and improve patient outcomes.

CTCM Project Round: Two

State: Victoria

Project Partner:

• The Royal Women's Hospital

Funding:

• CTCM Grant: $500,000
• Industry Contribution: $311,111

Duration: August 2023 - June 2025

Website: Ventora Medical | LinkedIn: Ventora Medical

Twitter: @VentoraMedical