It is estimated that more than 57 million intubations are performed annually worldwide. Various studies show that, in 45% of cases, this process in critical patients produces serious complications. Dr. Juan Alonso, an intensivist based at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane (Australia), has created an innovative device that makes this process much simpler, while protecting healthcare personnel from contracting possible infections.
The idea emerged in the midst of the covid-19 outbreak, in March of last year. Airway Shield, based in Santander, has designed a flexible plastic device that holds the tongue while creating a path that connects the endotracheal tube directly to the trachea. In addition, the instrument covers the entire mouth, thus minimizing the dispersion of aerosols generated in the process and, in doing so, reducing the possibility of doctors becoming infected.
The product has been designed by intensivists and engineers and is protected by an international patent. It has been tested in Spain and Australia with mannequins. And this Friday, it closed a financing round on Capital Cell in which, in less than 24 hours, it exceeded the amount it wanted to raise: 320,000 euros. It thus becomes the third company to complete a campaign on this Catalan investment platform in such a short time, after the success stories of Corify and Time is Brain. And it is that it is being a record year for Capital Cell, which is surpassing the figures obtained since its creation in 2015 and expects to continue doing so this 2021.
Airway Shield expects to carry out the first studies with patients in this last quarter of 2021 and, once concluded, the product will begin to be commercialized. The first markets in which it will be available will be Europe, the United States, and Australia. Subsequently, the Airway Shield team wants to develop the same device for pediatric use.