Innovation Finally Reaches Oxygen Humidification Market

Respiratory providers have long accepted problems such as cross threading, rain-out, and routine maintenance programs as inevitable when providing humidification therapy to patients. But legislative and reimbursement trends are forcing providers to find ways to reduce their operating costs without jeopardizing patient care. Advanced hollow fiber membranes, successfully employed in the food, pharmaceutical, and other industries, are now being applied to help respiratory providers improve the quality, safety, and reliability of humidification programs while reducing their costs.

St. Paul, MN (PRWEB) October 8, 2005 -- Respiratory providers have long accepted problems such as cross threading, rain-out, and routine maintenance programs as inevitable when providing humidification therapy to patients. But legislative and reimbursement trends are forcing providers to find ways to reduce their operating costs without jeopardizing patient care. Advanced hollow fiber membranes, successfully employed in the food, pharmaceutical, and other industries, are now being applied to help respiratory providers improve the quality, safety, and reliability of humidification programs while reducing their costs.

The technology, called HUMIDIFLOW™, is manufactured by St. Paul, MN-based Porous Media Corporation. The product was developed in response to respiratory providers’ interest in a humidification technology that could eliminate service calls related to common cross threading and rain-out problems as well as cross contamination issues. “The product is truly an innovation”, noted Keith Roberts, New Business Development, Porous Media. “Humidiflow™ can eliminate the high cost, training, on-going maintenance, and hassles required with conventional humidification bottles that have been the standard in the industry for decades. Humidiflow™ is a technology poised to revolutionize the way humidification is delivered to patients.”

Humidiflow’s™ advanced hollow fiber membranes act as a moisture exchanger. The unit, which houses the membranes inside a cylinder-shaped shell, is plumbed in-line and upstream of the oxygen concentrator’s air compressor. Oxygen flows through the inside of the membranes while ambient air—drawn in by the section of the air compressor—flows counter currently on the outside of the membrane. The moisture from the atmosphere diffuses across the membrane into the dry oxygen stream humidifying the oxygen and providing increased patient comfort.

The technology also has the potential to assist providers with compliance issues. “Our accreditation agency was impressed with Humidiflow™ and they complimented us for taking a leading edge and using technology to enhance patient compliance for their standards”, stated Robert Lybarger, President of Legacy Medical Equipment in Troy, Ohio.

Porous Media adds Humidiflow™ to it’s line of advanced medical filters and plans to launch the new product at the 2005 Medtrade Show in Atlanta. Porous Media Corporation designs and manufactures advanced technologies for the separation of liquids, solids and gases. Innovative products of superior quality, backed by unparalleled service, offer exceptional value for the demanding needs of the medical, fluid process, pneumatics, instrumentation, oil and gas, lubrication and hydraulics, and transportation industries. Further information can be found on the Company’s Web site: www.porous.com or www.humidiflow.com.

Contact:    Cheryl Yasis,
      Porous Media Corporation
      651-653-2000

# # #