The agency’s de novo clearance marks a U.S. first for the device aimed at critically ill patients who have acute but reversible respiratory failure. It uses a technique known as low-flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal or ECCO2R.
In addition to releasing carbon dioxide, every breath we take exhales a multitude of volatile chemicals from locations throughout the body, not just the lungs. Now, Owlstone Medical has shown that its device can capture these compounds and parse them for signs of liver disease.
As several U.S. states try to enforce the wearing of face-coverings in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus, there are some people who are refusing to do this. One of the newest conspiracies being touted as an excuse for this is that wearing masks can result in ‘hypercapnia’ or carbon dioxide toxicity. Except, with all reasonable face coverings ranging from surgical masks, to home-made face coverings and N95 filtered masks, this simply does not happen.
The FDA granted two emergency authorizations to blood-filtering devices designed to assist the distressed immune and respiratory systems of patients with severe cases of COVID-19.