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' Old-School ’ Medical Device Partners with ‘ Next-Gen ’ Digital
Platform
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PN Medical and Orbita develop breakthrough Breather +® respiratory muscle training device and applications for remote care management
PN Medical , an industry leader in pulmonary and speech rehabilitation technology , has chosen Orbita to advance the company ’ s goals of improving lives and reducing health care costs among patients with chronic conditions such as asthma , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ,) congestive heart failure ( CHF ,) hypertension and dysphagia . PN Medical will leverage Orbita ’ s unique digital platform to enable clinicians to better monitor and support patients undergoing therapy for these conditions at home .
PN Medical ’ s newest device , Breather + ™ , is a Bluetooth-enabled respiratory muscle training ( RMT ) device for patients with abnormal breathing function or shortness of breath as well as problems with
October / November 2016 speech and swallowing due to decreased breath support . It is used both diagnostically to measure lung capacity and therapeutically to improve breathing function as patients perform inhaling and exhaling exercises . Sensors embedded in the Breather + capture lung function and patient adherence data . That data is instantly sent to the Orbita-powered practitioner dashboard via the Breather + mobile app and provides meaningful information to monitor and manage patients .
“ In 1980 , we were first to market with The Breather™ , our revolutionary respiratory device . Now , thanks to our partnership with Orbita , we ’ re leading the way again in transforming healthcare at home ,” said PN Medical ’ s CEO Mark A . Carbone . “ We are thrilled to partner with Orbita , the only technology provider that met all of our requirements for creating this smart , connected care application .”
The Breather + device and platform supports early intervention and more targeted , personalized treatment which Carbone says will not only reduce emergency room visits , but also improve patient ’ s quality of life as the original Breather has been doing for 30 years .
“ We are pleased to partner with such an innovative company as PN Medical to bring this intelligent , connected home care management solution to market ,” said Orbita CEO Bill Rogers . “ We are seeing just how powerful technology can be in solving patient adherence challenges and addressing fragmented communication and collaboration among patients , their caregivers and clinicians . It ’ s all about engaging patients , informing caregivers and empowering providers .”
Carbone ’ s passion with PN Medical was inspired after seeing both of his parents struggle with significant cardiac and pulmonary conditions . “ I witnessed the patient / provider breakdown first hand and was emboldened to find a way to do something about it ,” he said . “ Anything to keep my dad from going back to the hospital when he could stay home was his wish to me . This new technology is allowing us to do just that .” •