One in seven babies born in the UK are admitted to a neonatal unit every year.
Neonatal ventilation is an essential element of the care given in neonatal units. Neonatal respiratory monitoring aims to support the respiratory system of newborns during critical periods while ensuring any long-term damage to the lungs is limited.
The best practice clinical protocols recommend neonatal ventilation incorporates both lung-protective volume control and CO2 monitoring. However, excessive deadspace can prevent clinicians combining volume and CO2 monitoring in the smallest of patients. This can be detrimental to newborns in neonatal care and stressful for the clinicians striving to uphold the recommended standards.
Lowest in class 0.8ml deadspace for neonatal respiratory monitoring
Europlaz has designed a patented Flow Sensor that forms a key component in neonatal respiratory monitoring. The Flow Sensor allows clinicians to follow the right protocols by combining the sensor for measuring flow-volume with an optimally placed sampling port. The port safely extracts gas for tidal flow CO2 monitoring and reduces the deadspace to 0.8ml.
The 0.8ml deadspace is the lowest in class compared to other flow sensors on the market that have a combined deadspace of 2ml to 5ml. As a result, the Europlaz Flow Sensor considerably minimises the excess space in the breathing apparatus, enabling clinicians to combine volume and CO2 monitoring and provide newborn patients with the best possible care.
Patented design for neonatal respiratory monitoring
Earlier side-stream CO2 monitoring involved a chain of connectors vulnerable to human error and therefore increased risk for the most fragile of patients. Accidently placing the side-stream adapter before the flow sensor, for example, would result in a significant tidal volume error because the ventilator wrongly assumes post-sensor sampling gas loss. In the worst cases, the ventilator overshoots tidal volume by 50% and the turbulent gas mixing results in an EtCO2 under-measurement.
Higher gas turbulences also contribute to flow and CO2 measurement errors, which affect adequate ventilation and oxygenation. Europlaz designed its flow sensor to eliminate inaccuracies from the gas turbulence noise that can occur between multiple connectors, avoiding mismatch and the risks associated with human errors.
Mistakes-proof circuit assembly reduces disconnect risk by at least 30%
Europlaz produces the Flow Sensor using automated micro-robotic assembly to provide consistent sensor quality, performance and traceability. The circuit also uses one less connector, which reduces disconnect risk by at least 30%.
The patented Flow Sensor will support not only neonatal ventilation but also airflow measurement that can avoid complications in the monitored baby’s breathing. Europlaz is proud of its innovation, which can help the respiration of 100,000 neonatal babies in critical units in the UK every year.
The new device marks a milestone for Europlaz’s own-products, and the clinicians now able to follow the best practice protocols.
Compatible Machines
Infant ventilators for which the Europlaz Flow Sensor is 100% compatible:
Acutronic Florian Respiratory Monitor
Acutronic Fabien NCPAP Evolution
Acutronic Fabien HFO
Acutronic Fabien HFOi
GE Engestom Carestation Neonatal
Heinen & Lowenstein Leoni plus
Maquet Servo-N
SLE 2100 VPM
SLE4000
SLE5000
SLE6000
Infant ventilators using hotwire technology for which the Europlaz flow sensor is 100% compatible:
Draeger Babylog8000
Draeger VN800
Vyaire Avea
Please note the Flow Sensor is available without the side-port for situations or markets that do not use tidal flow CO2 monitoring.
For more information on Europlaz’s Flow Sensor please click here.
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