Pulmonx

A would-be pulmonary pioneer enters the market via intubation.

The last 40 years have brought no major technological advances to intubation, the process of placing a tube in the trachea of a person with a medical need to secure an airway, says Peter Soltesz, a co-founder of Palo Alto, CA-based Pulmonxand its COO. Some 58 million intubations are performed annually worldwide, he says. Normally, the procedure is done quickly, without any complication. However, in many cases, the medical staffer performing an intubation cannot see what he or she is doing, and must proceed guided only by feel and sense of timing. The inability to visualize the anatomy can cause problems: tubes can, for instance, be misplaced in the esophagus or mainstem bronchus, which can lead to morbidity or death if undetected. Trouble happens, Soltesz says, in up to 10% of the emergency intubations performed outside of the hospital in the US each year. Even in calmer operating-room settings, where highly-experienced anesthesiologists typically perform the procedure, intubation can still cause problems 3-5% of the time—if, for instance, a patient turns out to have unusual anatomy. Intubation and tube positioning in infants and neonates are often difficult, simply because their airways are so small.

Pulmonx founders Rod Perkins, Peter Soltesz and Robert Kotmel figured the difficulties of intubation added up to a business opportunity,...

More from Strategy

HealthAI: ‘Established Regulations Already Exist For Regulating AI In Healthcare Safely’

 

Paul Campbell, chief regulatory officer at HealthAI, emphasizes existing regulations for AI in healthcare should not be overlooked as new regulations are developed.

Endo Tools, Fujifilm Partner to Fast-Track Endomina Rollout Across MEA Region

 
• By 

CEO Alexandre Chau told Medtech Insight that the Middle East and Africa presented the ideal mix of market potential, physician training opportunities, and regulatory readiness when the company was considering expansion markets beyond Europe and the US.

Thena Capital’s New Fund Up And Running With £1M Investment In Plexāā’s Breast Cancer Device

 

Thena Capital, the first UK-based early-stage specialist medtech firm, has made its first investment since closing its £50m fund. Medtech Insight spoke with general partner Pamela Walker Geddes to gain insight into Thena Capital’s investment strategy.

Milner Pitch Day: Multiomic Pathology, Microcancer Avatars And Cell Morphology Intelligence

 

The Milner Institute, the on-campus hub for start-up acceleration at Cambridge University, hosted its annual Pitch Day on July 1. Start-ups Panakeia, PathwayBio and Sentinal4D presented diagnostic technologies.

More from Business