Understanding lessons from past experiences are critical to progression in innovative development. The VQm PHM™ is the result of substantial efforts, experience, and developed expertise gained through the development of the VQm Enthalpy Monitor®.
Through creative innovation and expert medical engineering, Rostrum Medical is committed to advancing the performance of the healthcare industry worldwide by:
- Providing safe, efficient tools that are user-friendly and affordable for bedside clinical practice in the ICU, and
- Focusing on providing a non-invasive clinical monitoring system that helps clinicians individualize care for patients.
How Rostrum is addressing ARDS clinical challenges
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a complex, rapid, and distinct acute respiratory failure characterized by hypoxemia, widespread inflammation in both lungs, and pulmonary edema. Although outcomes in recent years have somewhat improved, mortality for ARDS remains at 40%[1] with high variability between different severity classifications. This poor prognosis has driven much research in various disciplines including pharmaceutical, epidemiological, biological, and clinical, leading to potential therapeutic interventions like prone positioning, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, and the application of recruitment maneuvers[2][3][4]. However, to date, the only therapy that has been shown to reduce the mortality rate of ARDS is a low tidal volume ventilatory strategy (protective ventilation strategy)[5].
Currently, aside from low tidal volumes, there is no consensus among clinicians on ventilator settings for ARDS patients. There remains a need for an objective system to help guide clinicians on the most suitable ventilation strategies in these patients. Rostrum’s efforts and gained experiences strengthen its ability to deliver a solution to this unmet clinical need.
Rostrum Medical has dedicated efforts and resources into understanding the complex disease state of ARDS — the physiology, current clinical best practices, trends in treatment, and areas of clinical research.
Assessment of dead space and shunt fraction can be a way to quantitatively assess the effects that ventilator setting changes may have on a patient. This, in turn, could help the physician manage the ventilator settings for their patient. Rostrum is focused on providing a solution that will offer physiological insight into the effects resulting from those altered lung mechanics.
[1] Lumb, A.B., Nunn’s applied respiratory physiology eBook. 2016: Elsevier Health Sciences
[2] Guérin, C., et al., Prone positioning in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med, 2013. 368(23): p. 2159-2168.
[3] Gattinoni, L., et al., Lung recruitment in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med, 2006. 354(17): p. 1775-1786.
[4] Ferguson, N.D., et al., High-frequency oscillation in early acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med, 2013. 368(9): p. 795-805.
[5] Brower, R., et al., The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network. Ventilation with lower tidal volumes as compared with traditional tidal volumes for acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med, 2000. 342(18): p. 1301-8.