PneumaLife

 

Our Mission

PneumaLife aims to provide parents who have premature babies with apnea a more comfortable and accurate wearable device to monitor their child’s breathing complications.


 

Why

Approximately 15 million babies are born premature in the U.S. As many as half of these premature babies suffer from apnea.

Apnea is a term for the absence of breathing for more than 20 seconds. It can occur in full-term babies, but is more common in premature babies. The more premature the baby, the greater the chances that apnea will occur.
– Stanford Child’s Health


 

How

PneumaLife is an innovative solution to current monitor systems.
Our device utilizes a wireless wearable breathing monitor coupled with haptic stimulation to encourage breathing during an apnea episode.

A phone application provides a convenient way to view the baby’s health status. Additionally, a battery-operated alarm device
ensures parents will always be notified even in a loss of power.

Sensitive strain sensors detect small changes in movement on the baby’s abdomen that correlate to breathing. Gentle adhesives ensures little to no irritation on premature skin. Smart computer algorithms detects lack of breathing 10 seconds into the apnea episode, then activates a vibration stimulation to encourage re-breathing. An audible alarm activates 20 seconds into the episode.


 

Competition

Currently the only standard device used for at-home-monitoring for apnea of prematurity is a thick belt that wraps around half of the baby’s chest. The wires are attached to a main monitor that analyzes breathing patterns and sounds an alarm when the baby stops breathing. The monitor can cause discomfort to the child and is susceptible to false alarams. The baby can also kick off the wires, leading to sensors not picking up breathing patterns, or may hinder the child’s movements by tangling up around the baby.

An unmet need is still present
for a system that can monitor and notify
with minimal discomfort to the baby
and fewer false alarms.


 

The Market

15 million babies are born premature each year. Of these babies, 40% suffer from central apnea of prematurity. The U.S spents $16.9 billion dollars for medical and health costs centered around apnea of prematurity.