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Preventis Medical Launches New Technology to Prevent Infections in Premature Infants

Breakthrough is based on invention from Intermountain Healthcare

An innovation developed in an Intermountain Healthcare Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to reduce the incidence of pneumonia in premature babies has now become a product that a Utah-based company will sell nationwide.

Preventis Medical, LLC http://www.preventismedical.com has announced the release of Respia TM, a physiologically balanced, low sodium solution for airway care designed to mimic the properties of normal protective respiratory secretions. Preventis will immediately begin marketing Respia to acute care hospitals throughout the U.S.

In 2010, Preventis entered into a licensing agreement with Intermountain Healthcare’s Invention Management Office for the exclusive right to manufacture and market Respia, developed by Dr. Robert D. Christensen, Diane Lambert, Scott Scoffield, and Daniel Woodhead from the Neonatal Research team at Intermountain Healthcare’s McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, UT.

Dr. Christensen stated "I anticipate that Respia will significantly reduce the number of infections for patients on ventilators as well as reduce the number of patients that are sent home with oxygen support."

Dr. Christensen’s team formulated the solution based on the fact that the high sodium concentration in sterile normal saline, when used to thin tenacious secretions prior to suctioning the endotracheal tubes of ventilated patients, damages the protective lining of the airway inactivating naturally occurring proteins that have potent antimicrobial properties. This loss of natural protection can lead to a life-threatening infection such as Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP).

Dr. Christensen’s team developed Respia patterned after the natural, low-sodium secretions found in the airways. In a multi-center study, the team determined the rate of VAP was significantly reduced in NICUs that used Respia for airway care when compared to NICUs using normal saline. The incidence of VAP decreased from a mean of 4.2 incidents per 1000 ventilator days to a mean rate 1.6 incidents per 1000 ventilator days.*

"We are extremely excited to begin marketing Respia to hospitals across the country," said David Dowsett, CEO of Preventis Medical. "Cost effective infection prevention technologies like Respia are increasingly more critical as our healthcare system struggles to reduce overall costs while improving patient care."

Along the way to launching Respia, Preventis Medical received assistance from Weber State University and the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative. A USTAR Technology Commercialization Grant funded product development and testing efforts at Weber State. "Weber State’s efforts made it possible for Preventis Medical to manufacture the product and bring it to market quickly," Dowsett said. "The USTAR grant was the key ingredient enabling us to develop and launch Respia so quickly."

About Preventis Medical

Preventis Medical, LLC, is a Utah-based medical device technology company focused on improving patient safety by reducing the incidence of Healthcare-Acquired Infections (HAI’s) through clinician-focused, innovative product development and commercialization. For more information please visit http://www.preventismedical.com

About Intermountain Healthcare

Intermountain Healthcare is a system of nonprofit hospitals and clinics that provide medical care to residents of Utah and southern Idaho.  Intermountain’s physicians, nurses and other caregivers are recognized national leaders in providing high quality care.

* Christensen RD, Henry E, Baer VL, Hoang N, Snow GL, Rigby G, et al. A low-sodium solution for airway care: results of a multicenter trial. Respiratory Care. 2010;55 (12):1680-5.

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