Pulmonetic Announces New President/CEO
Pulmonetic Systems Inc, Colton, Calif, appointed Jim Hickey as president and CEO, effective October 15, 2001. (909) 783-2280; www.pulmonetic.com.

d02a.jpg (11219 bytes)In-Home Trials at No Charge
Advanced Respiratory, St Paul, Minn, announced that through The Vest Trial Program, physicians can now prescribe The Vest™ Airway Clearance System to patients at no charge for a 60-day, in-home trial.

“This program addresses a fundamental concern of many physicians—is this medical device right for my patient?” says Elden Russell, president and CEO of Advanced Respiratory. “Our solution is to give physicians the opportunity to examine the clinical benefits of The Vest before writing prescriptions and to simplify the prescription process.”

The Vest system is an airway clearance device for children and adults. It consists of an inflatable vest connected by hoses to a small air-pulse generator, which rapidly inflates and deflates the vest, oscillating the chest wall up to 25 times per second and creating airflow within the lungs. This process, called high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO), moves mucus toward the larger airways where it can be cleared by coughing or suctioning. More information can be obtained by calling (800) 426-4224 or by visiting www.thevest.com.

Erratum
In the October/November 2001 issue, the phone number listed for the Nellcor® Sensor Recycling Program was incorrectly printed. The correct number is (800) 995-1329 ext 4288.

Nellcor Donates Aid to Ecuador Medical Mission
Nellcor, now part of Tyco Healthcare, Pleasanton, Calif, released details in October of its donation of Nellcor® pulse oximeters and sensors to Children’s Healthcare and Nutritional Goals Through Education (CHANGE). In February, the nonprofit organization sponsored a medical relief mission to Ecuador, where Nellcor technology was used during reconstructive surgery and scar revisions on children and young adults, patients who would otherwise never receive treatment. A health care team of 10 volunteers led by Rick Silverman, MD, a plastic surgeon from the University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, performed 52 reconstructive maxillofacial surgeries in 4 days for children in Latacunga, Ecuador.

Robert M. Gross, MD, MPH, an anesthesiologist in the New York metropolitan area who volunteered, states, “The work we perform is truly life-changing for these individuals. It is essential that we have reliable technology. During this mission I relied heavily on the Nellcor PediCheck™ Pediatric Spot-Check Clip with the Nellcor Dura-Y Sensor™.” (800) 635-5267; www.nellcor.com.

d02b.jpg (8561 bytes)FDA Approves High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilator
VIASYS Healthcare Inc, Conshohocken, Pa, announced that it had received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch the SensorMedics Model 3100B High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilator into commercial distribution in the United States for the treatment of acute respiratory failure in adults and large children.

The 3100B uses higher distending pressures than conventional ventilators to open the diseased lung units and improve the delivery of oxygen. It then uses very rapid (typically from 180 to 420 breaths per minute), but extremely small breaths to remove carbon dioxide, thereby reducing injury to the lungs.

“I am very pleased that we will now be able to extend the benefits of high frequency oscillatory ventilation that we have previously demonstrated in neonates and pediatrics to the adult population,” announced Alex Stenzler, vice president of Advanced Technologies for VIASYS Healthcare’s Respiratory Technologies Group. “With the annual incidence of ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) at more than 100,000, we anticipate that use of the 3100B in adult ARDS may save several thousand lives, or the population of a small town, in the United States every year.”

For more information, contact the SensorMedics marketing department at (800) 520-4368.

FDA Approves Albuterol Inhalation Solution for Pediatric Asthma
Dey LP, Napa, Calif, an associate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, offers FDA-approved. AccuNeb™ Inhalation Solution 1.25 mg*/3 mL and 0.63 mg*/3 mL (*potency expressed as albuterol, equivalent to 1.5 mg and 0.75 mg albuterol sulfate), the first premixed, premeasured, reduced dosages of albuterol inhalation solution for the relief of bronchospasm in patients 2 to 12 years of age with asthma. AccuNeb is preservative-free, does not contain benzalkonium chloride (BAC), and complies with the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines for pediatric asthma patients. (800) 755-5560; www.deyinc.com.

Respiratory Conference
The 2nd annual FOCUS on Respiratory Care Conference will take place April 25-27, 2002, at the St Louis Convention Center. The $195 fee will include 44 lectures in adult respiratory care, pediatric/neonatal respiratory care, management, education, holistic medicine, home care and sleep medicine; a David Crosby concert; two keynote speakers; a 3-hour opening party; an exhibit hall; and an autograph appearance by Lou Brock. Fifteen CE hours for respiratory care, nursing, and physicians are available. More information can be obtained by calling (800) 661-5690 or by visiting www.foocus.com.