Royal Philips Electronics, Murrysville, Pa, recently introduced the Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System at Medtrade 2009 in Atlanta. According to the company, the new product line brings advancements in therapy for those with sleep apnea, along with solutions for health care providers.

“Our new system is proof positive of our vision of working together with our provider customers to transform the home healthcare market to meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s promise of improved care,” said Donald Spence, CEO of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions. “In designing the new system, we took a smarter approach to the entire sleep management process and married our clinically proven technologies together in one rigorously engineered device to better support patient care. It is our most sophisticated offering to date, and it comes at a time when patient compliance matters most.”

The new system is designed to provide therapy options for mild to severe sleep apnea patients and help providers recognize changing patient conditions that may require different treatment. The Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System features new event detection software and expanded reporting capabilities. The system also utilizes a three-layer algorithm that distinguishes between obstructed and clear airway apneas and periodic breathing, such as Cheyne-Stokes respiration, to recognize when a patient may be experiencing symptoms beyond sleep apnea.

Respiratory events can be verified through patient flow waveform data. Multiple options for data transfer are available, including standard SD cards, wireless, and wired modem connections. The sleep system includes on-board memory storage for 6 months of compliance data (7 and 30 day averages) and 5 days of patient flow waveforms. The Philips Respironics Encore data management systems are also newly enhanced.

Other features to the sleep system include lighted LEDs and an LCD dial and push-button interface. All components are built-in to the system, which measures 7" L x 5.5" W x 4" H. System One Humidity Control technology adjusts automatically for changes in room temperature and room humidity. Patients select the desired humidity level in the mask, and sensors gather the data required by the device to maintain these levels to prevent rainout in changing environmental conditions.

Another feature, System One Resistance Control, adjusts pressure delivery for every Philips Respironics mask. The device is set up to compensate for resistance characteristics caused by the various mask options available and operate as an integrated system.

The new Philips Respironics’ CPAP and BiPAP devices include basic, compliance, and auto-adjusting models. Accessories include power supply, carrying case, power cord, filter kit, and integrated humidifier. The devices come with a 2-year, replace-with-new warranty.

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