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The Bengaluru-based Coeo Labs launched a revolutionary device to treat respiratory distress of new-born babies in February 2019. The device called Saans is affordable and has the following unique features:
- Multi-Power mode including manual
- Minimum skill Needed, only 1 attendant
- Aligned with various transport mode in
the India - User determined Oxygen + Air mixture
- Passive humidification
A company note states that 1.14 million babies die of respiratory distress yearly, yet the majority of these deaths are easily preventable by the application of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). Even in a low-income country, a well-designed bubble CPAP improves survival by 24 to 65% (8).
Unfortunately, a significant number of newborns and infants do not have access to this technology during transport nor is electricity and skilled manpower widely available at these care centers.
Currently, all neonatal transport CPAP machines (including bubble CPAPs) require electrical power or compressed gases to function – neither of which is easily available in low-resource settings.
Cost
Nitesh Jangir, co-founder of Coeo Labs says that the cost of the device is nearly half the conventional machine. But it is more easily accessible because of its unique features. “There is no specific pricing since it depends on warranty, volumes, disposables and other parameters.”
Saans, he says, has already saved more than 100 lives in two months. It is currently being used in 5 healthcare facilities which include hospitals of government, corporate and medical college.
The biggest challenge he says is getting high quality medical grade components manufactured in India.
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