Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say it is well-established in aerospace engineering that vortex airflow has unique aerodynamic properties that are different from conventional, continuous airflow. Vortex airflow is used in various applications, such as enhancing fuel mixing in combustion processes, improving convective cooling of electronic components, or as a flow control mechanism that reduces drag over a body (such as an airplane wing or a car). Then they realized the unique properties of vortex airflow could also be leveraged for CPAP therapy.
“Despite the clinical efficacy for CPAP in controlling OSA, patient compliance with the therapy remains a major cause of treatment failure,” says Liran Oren, PhD, research associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery at the UC College of Medicine, in a release.
“The vast majority of complaints from patients in CPAP therapy revolve around improving the comfort of the mask,” Oren says. “However, regardless of the design, they all require a tight seal over the face, so that the airway can be pressurized. This design requirement for a tight seal is the main limitation for making CPAP therapy more comfortable.”
Oren and co-investigators are developing a VortexPAP machine that takes advantage of vortex airflow technology. A preliminary clinical study with current CPAP users demonstrated that the VortexPAP can deliver the pressure levels that are used in the subjects’ CPAP therapy, but the mask is more comfortable to wear. It has a minimalistic design that barely touches the patient’s face.
Oren says the VortexPAP eliminates the requirement for a tight seal since it’s based on reapplication of vortical airflow, a flow control mechanism commonly used in aerospace engineering applications.
“The unique aerodynamic properties of vortical airflow enables the device to pressurize the upper airways without needing a tight-fitting mask,” says Oren. “As a result, this game-changing innovation will make CPAP therapy more comfortable, better tolerated, and may increase patient compliance, a win for patients, doctors, and third-party payers.”
The project is a collaboration between Oren; Roy Kulick, MD, UC entrepreneur-in-residence; Ephraim Gutmark, PhD, distinguished professor, Ohio Eminent Scholar in the UC Department of Aerospace Engineering; and Ann Romaker, MD, director of the UC Sleep Medicine Center and professor in the UC Department of Internal Medicine.
Gutmark is director of the UC Laryngeal Biomechanics Lab. “The main strength of our lab is marrying advanced knowledge in aerospace with medicine,” Oren says. “For example, we know that vortices emanating from a jet engine would generate sound that people perceive as a type of ‘noise.’ As such, there is much active research on eliminating these vortices to reduce the sound (noise) produced by the jet.
“Our lab takes this knowledge and tries to reverse it. We found that vortices form in the airway when our vocal cords vibrate when we speak.”
“The development work of the VortexPAP draws on the strengths that UC offers,” Oren says. “This idea was born from distinguished departments (aerospace engineering and otolaryngology) and developed into a functional, suitable medical device using expertise in biomedical engineering.
“We collaborate with Dr. Ann Romaker, a sleep medicine doctor from UC, who helped us identify the main reasons for patient noncompliance with CPAP therapy and ensure our technology offers an alternative, effective solution.”
Romaker says the biggest design change is the lack of a need for a seal. The interface will not be tight nor will it have to be enclosed, so people with a degree of claustrophobia will be much more comfortable, as well as everyone else.
“The lower pressures produced by this method will also decrease air swallowing, which can be uncomfortable for some CPAP users and, again, will be more comfortable,” Romaker says in a release.
According to Oren, the development work is also done with the goal of commercializing the VortexPAP in the United States. As such, they received strong support from the UC Venture Lab. They paired with Kulick, who has been instrumental in helping build out a business plan for the VortexPAP.
“I think this project is the epitome of UC,” Oren adds.
Image: An image of the VortexPAP device at the University of Cincinnati. Photo courtesy University of Cincinnati Marketing + Communications
