Seattle Children's Research Institute, US, has received a two-year, $2.3m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to complete prototype development of its new respiratory support device – Seattle Children's Positive Airway Pressure (Sea-PAP).
Sea-PAP, a bubble continuous positive airway pressure (B-CPAP) device, will provide breathing support to premature infants who suffer from respiratory distress.
Sea-PAP works like conventional B-CPAP devices, providing a continuous flow of air via tubes inserted in an infant's nostrils but unlike conventional devices, its breathing circuit tube is placed in water at a 135 degree slope, which creates fluctuations in the positive airway pressure, which keep the lungs open, thus allowing infants to breathe more easily.
The new respiratory device will also eliminate the need for tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in many infants.
Upon completion, Sea-PAP will be cheaper to produce, operate and maintain than other ventilators and respiratory support devices, the research institute has said.
