January 31, 2024 (Vancouver, B.C.) – Over 350,000 patients in Canada are admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) annually, with 40% of those patients needing invasive mechanical ventilation. Managing mechanically ventilated patients can be complex due to providers having to simultaneously treat the underlying condition and the potential impacts a ventilator may have on the patient, which can lead to costly complications. The most common ventilator related complications or injuries are to a patient’s heart or lungs. In fact, up to 50% of mechanically ventilated patients experience complications, contributing in part to the ICU’s usage of 20 percent of hospital resources.
Currently, there is no real time, single solution to evaluate the impact on a patient’s cardio-pulmonary health from mechanical ventilation. Current methods are often invasive and time consuming, require extensive training and only provide partial information by focusing on one organ and ignoring the impacts of any intervention on the other.
Through OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™), Rostrum Medical Innovations, a British Columbia-based medical device start-up, secured a partnership with Southlake Regional Health Centre to evaluate Pulmonary Blood Flow (PBF) when measured by their novel VQm® System as compared to the reference standard in the ICU.
Rostrum Medical Innovation’s VQm® System is a bedside cardio-pulmonary health monitoring system that addresses the gap in clinical monitoring solutions of the heart and lungs for invasively mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU. The VQm® System consists of a standalone monitor, a proprietary sensor and a per patient that connects the monitor to any standard ventilator breathing circuit. Rostrum’s VQm® System also measures dead space, shunt fraction and functional residual capacity, giving providers the information they need to streamline ICU clinical workflows and reduce costs for mechanically ventilated patients.
This evaluation which is the product’s first clinical application in an ICU setting has demonstrated VQm® System’s ability to detect changes in PBF. Compared to the reference standard, the VQm® System showed a concordance of 83% to the standard of care. The VQm® System can also assess the impact of intravenous (IV) fluid on a patient’s heart and lung function allowing point of care adjustments which may reduce the rate of complications. Current ICU methods to generate the same type of data would cost upwards of $43,000 per patient per day, whereas the VQm® System can provide it daily for approximately $250 per patient for the duration of ICU care. Ultimately this solution has the potential to empower the healthcare team by giving them non-invasive, bedside access to valuable clinical measurements.
“We are very grateful to have worked with an amazing team from Southlake and we are proud with what the results are showing,” said Nathan Ayoubi, COO, Rostrum Medical Innovation. “We are committed to continuing our efforts to bring the VQm® System into other sites across the country.”
“The ability of this technology to generate physiological measurements non-invasively and in a semi-continuous manner could prove highly valuable within the ICU setting,” said Dr. Bryn Fell, Critical Care Medicine and Internal Medicine Specialist, Southlake Regional Health Centre. “We need to study this device in the ICU to see if any single or a combination of its four outputs could be used to tailor patient care, whether that be through more effective oxygenation and ventilation titration, fluid and pressor optimization, or another outcome. More study is needed, but preliminary results are promising.”
“We are pleased to provide an opportunity to a B.C.-based company to access the Ontario healthcare market and in turn potentially improve cost efficiencies in our healthcare system,” said Dr. Maura Campbell, President and CEO, OBIO®. “The success of this project truly exemplifies the pan-Canadian nature of EAHN™, which has partnered with companies and healthcare organizations in five provinces.”
About OBIO®
OBIO®, a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization, is prioritizing the evaluation of new technologies through their Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™). OBIO® is engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to further the commercialization of human health technologies, positioning Canada as a leader in the international marketplace. For more information, please visit OBIO.ca.
About Rostrum Medical Innovations
Rostrum Medical Innovations is dedicated to empowering medical practitioners with new and useful solutions to help solve everyday challenges that medical professionals face. Rostrum was established with a goal to deliver novel solutions to problematic uncertainties in modern day practice. With a team of some of the world’s most progressive clinicians, combined with engineering and business expertise with a history of commercial success, Rostrum is driven by one mission – to address clinical needs in healthcare. For more information, please visit www.rostrummedical.com.
About Southlake Regional Health Centre
Southlake is building healthy communities through outstanding care, innovative partnerships, and amazing people. We deliver a wide range of healthcare services to the communities of northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. Our advanced regional programs include Cancer Care and Cardiac Care and serve a broader population across the northern GTA and into Simcoe-Muskoka.
Our team of 6,000 staff, physicians, volunteers, students and Patient and Family Advisors are committed to creating an environment where the best experiences happen. As a recognition of our commitment to quality and patient safety, we have received the highest distinction of Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada.
With an annual operating budget of over $550 million, we are for one of Ontario’s most rapidly growing and aging populations and have developed an exciting plan for new facilities to serve our communities into the future. A member of the Southlake Community Ontario Health Team, we are working with our partners to deliver connected care to northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. For more information, please visit southlake.ca.
Media Contacts:
For more information, please contact:
Bibaswan Ghoshal
Senior Director, Technology Adoption
Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO®)
Nathan Ayoubi
Chief Operating Officer
Rostrum Medical Innovation
Lindsey Furlanic
Communications Strategist, Corporate Communications
Southlake Regional Health Centre