June 9, 2021
Every newborn on a ventilator can now be better protected, thanks to technology that helps prevent a common breathing tube incident
Note to journalists: High-resolution photos of George Wodicka and the SonarMed
TM Airway Monitoring System are available via Google Drive. Journalists visiting campus should follow visitor health guidelines.
In 1990, Purdue University professor George Wodicka conceived of a medical device that gives clinicians vital information to make more informed, life-saving decisions for their smallest patients. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
After 30 years of development, a medical device designed to continuously monitor the airways of the tiniest ventilated patients could become the standard of care for babies worldwide
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IMAGE: In 1990, Purdue University professor George Wodicka conceived of a medical device that gives clinicians vital information to make more informed, life-saving decisions for their smallest patients. view more
Credit: Purdue University photo/John Underwood
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. If a newborn is moved or becomes agitated while on a ventilator, the breathing tube also could move. Just a few seconds with the tube in the wrong position might lead to a critical lack of oxygen to the brain, possibly resulting in lifelong disability or brain damage or even ending the baby s life.
The incident is far too common. Unplanned extubation - when a breathing tube accidentally becomes dislodged from the trachea - affects 75,000, or about one in five, newborns on ventilators each year, an analysis by Premier Data Services found. A medical device born out of Purdue University could save these babies lives by helping to keep their breathing tubes at the correct depth.
Folded arms and furrowed brows
among frustrated farmers greeted former Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) at a National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) meeting in the mid-2010s. Inglis was then a rarity among Republican legislators. He made his case for market-based solutions to mitigate the impact of human-influenced climate change. On that day, though, not many farmers wanted to hear it. “You could just feel the tension in the room, the feeling that this guy was full of it,” recalls Brandon Hunnicutt, a Giltner, Nebraska, farmer, who is involved with several NCGA boards. Many farmers skeptically view the concept of climate change. This skepticism, though, may be as much rooted in fear of government control as distrust in climate science, says Ben Riensche, a Jesup, Iowa, farmer.