December - 201919patients. The airway designed for the adults can be adjusted between 70 to 100 millimeters, and its extra-large version reaches out to 120 millimeters in full length and is wider, specially designed for those who are taller or have big tongues. The pediatric group airway stretches between 50 to 70 millimeters. All three models of these oral airways are assessment-based and can be adjusted after inserting in a patient's mouth according to the patient's level of consciousness (LOC) and ventilation requirement. "There's Gotta Be a Better Way"Besides the adjustable features, the meticulous designing of the airways is also pathbreaking. The large ventilation port of the Dual-Air® Adjustable Oropharyngeal Airway improves laminar airflow, thus reducing the amount of pressure needed to ventilate. This advancement decreases the amount of mask pressure needed in order to establish an adequate seal. The airway allows for easy suctioning through the ventilation port with up to an 18 Fr. suction catheter in the XLg and Adult Dual-Air, and a 14 Fr. catheter in the pediatric Dual-Air. Suctioning the airway prior to BVM ventilation is also much easier to accomplish. The slits on each side of the Dual-Air® face not only increase ventilation but also allow for the airway to be secured with a trach/necktie or tape. In addition, the design of this airway does not allow the patient to easily push the airway out of their mouths as the older style did. From bronchoscopy, endoscopy to oral-maxillofacial surgery and post-anesthesia recovery, NuZone Medical's innovation works equally well across various healthcare setups.The core differentiator of the Dual-Air®Adjustable Oral Airway is its ability to be utilized in unconscious, semi-conscious, and even alert patients, because it does not stimulate a gag reflex in most patients. Designed with a palatal arch support and adjustable tongue deflector that pulls the device away from the gag receptors, the airway design creates a wedge and stays in place, making it less likely for the patients to push the airway back and forth in their mouth while in a subconscious stage, which is extremely common with the other oral airways in the market. The point where the tongue deflector meets the palatal arch support is called the "V" Channel. This channel allows for a Yaunker to easily bypass the tongue and teeth of the patient for more aggressive airway clearance. The insertion process of the Dual-Air®Adjustable Oropharyngeal Airway has been simplified and standardized. The tongue deflector profile is lower and does not impinge upon the soft palate until the palatal arch enters the oral cavity. NuZone Medical's patented oropharyngeal airways also omit the issue of gag reflex in a majority of patients. Talking about these airways' advantages in case of a drug overdose, Beata explains, "One can insert our device when the patient is unconscious and is being administered the antidote. In case he or she wakes up, the paramedic can adjust the length of the device while it is in the patient's mouth, and the potential gag reflex goes away. Even if the patient relapses back into the unresponsive stage, the airway is already placed." The airways also permit easy access to suction catheters. Evidently, this multi - functional adaptable product, which can also be easily secured by a Velcro head strap due to the presence of slits on each side of the airway, which can be immensely beneficial to nurses and hospitals. An added benefit: This airway brings along a tongue depressor inside the package, Ogilive jokes "if you need it, you have it, if not use it to stir your coffee". Despite receiving a good response from the EMS wing of various medical service providers, NuZone Medical witnessed a different picture in-house. Ogilvie states that though BVM life-supporting equipment solutions could be easily found in the patients' rooms, the use of airways is declining. Through Dual-Air® OPAs, he aims to promote the necessity of a pre-measured airway that should be kept in the room along with the BVM. Consequently, if a patient stops breathing, the nurse can tackle the situation immediately in the room before the arrival of the code team. Currently, the RN or RT must manage the patient's airway without the usage of an OPA and because of this, most in-house clinicians have relied on chin-lift or jaw thrust technique to attempt to improve BVM ventilation.Moving forward, Dual-Air®Adjustable Oropharyngeal Airway has a unique value proposition in place. Now, it's a matter of penetrating the market deeper. Ogilive and Beata plan to develop a second generation of their existing device that would be bigger in size and would specifically cater to various kinds of scoping procedures. They also look forward to introducing CO2 monitoring capability in NuZone Medical's devices. In fact, during the scoping procedures, this new technology would eliminate the need of having cables connected for CO2 monitoring as the device itself would display the presence of CO2. "With our product, now you can walk by and look to determine the patient's condition. You would be able to see the litmus or wireless readout of the CO2 to understand the patient's respiratory status. It would also save the hospital's time and money," concludes Ogilvie. Beata Zawadzka, co-founder & CFO
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