As Israel faces a second wave of COVID-19, the Sheba Medical Centre is one of several major hospitals across the country to introduce a new respiratory guard system to prevent ventilator-associated complications in patients.

Israeli medical device startup Hospitech Respiration offered the AnapnoGuard system to hospitals in the country, on a free loan-basis in March. The solution was first introduced by Rambam Medical Centre, the largest academic centre in northern Israel.

Amid a new spike in the number of ventilated patients, AnapnoGuard has now also been adopted by the Sheba Medical Centre, Yitzhak Shamir Medical Centre and Wolfson Medical Centre.

WHY IT MATTERS

AnapnoGuard consists of an automatic control unit (AG100s) and a proprietary multi lumen endotracheal tube (AG ETT) which prevents ventilator-associated complications, including ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) and injury to the trachea.

The system works alongside and is complementary to the ventilator. It provides automated airway cuff pressure management and automated evacuation of the subglottic secretions, which reduce the likelihood of pulmonary infections and the occurrence of tracheal injury.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Since easing its lockdown in April, Israel has faced a resurgence of COVID-19. New cases had fallen to around 20 a day in mid-May, but increased to more than 1,000 a day in July, prompting the country to return to a partial lockdown.

The figures have continued to rise with the latest WHO statistics recording 2,190 new cases on 3 September.

In a recent interview, head of Israel’s Directorate of Defence Research and Development Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Daniel Gold discusses how the country is using its military defence expertise to fight the virus through medical devices, diagnostics and data intelligence tools.

ON THE RECORD

Prof. Gil Bolotin, director of the department of cardiac surgery at the Rambam Medical Centre in Haifa, Israel said: “My department has been using the AnapnoGuard system when treating high-risk ventilated patients. During this time, we have seen a significant reduction in the number of patients who developed lung and pulmonary infections following intubation.”

Yoav Venkert, CEO of Hospitech Respiration, said: “The outbreak of COVID-19 has highlighted the need of healthcare systems to find new and innovative solutions to medical challenges they are facing.”

Tzipi Yakoby, VP clinical of Hospitech Respiration, said: “Over the past month, we have been working with some of the best medical teams in Israel to install our AnapnoGuard systems in Intensive Care units. The unique features of our system do not only enable us to significantly reduce ventilation complications in intubated patients, but also minimise the exposure of clinical teams to contamination.”