The clinical problem
Mechanical ventilation disrupts normal breathing frequently resulting in ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction (VIDD).
When on a ventilator, a patient’s diaphragm may rapidly lose strength and function, making it harder for them to get back to independent breathing. The result is more than muscle weakness alone. When the ventilator takes over, phrenic nerve activity may be reduced or absent, interrupting communication between the brain, diaphragm, and the body’s sensory feedback systems.
Among critically ill patients who require invasive mechanical ventilation for two or more days, only 65% achieve successful liberation from the ventilator within 90 days.3 This is typically the time when the original clinical issue is remedied, but dependence on mechanical ventilation has created a new problem.
ICU Admissions
~1 million mechanically ventilated adults per year in the US 1,2
Cost per admission
US Market Opportunity
$1 billion
References
1. Kempker JA, Abril MK, Chen Y, Kramer MR, Waller LA, Martin GS. The Epidemiology of Respiratory Failure in the United States 2002 2017: A Serial Cross-Sectional Study. Crit Care Explor. 2020;2(6):e0128. doi:10.1097/CCE.0000000000000128
2. Carson SS, Cox CE, Holmes GM, Howard A, Carey TS. The changing epidemiology of mechanical ventilation: a population-based study. J Intensive Care Med. 2006;21(3):173-182. doi:10.1177/0885066605282784
3. Pham T, Heunks L, Bellani G, et al. Weaning from mechanical ventilation in intensive care units across 50 countries (WEAN SAFE): a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study. Lancet Respir Med. 2023;11(5):465-476. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00449-0
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