MICHELIN AirProne technology improves the lives of patients with respiratory failure at the most critical moments of the syndrome
Luis Cajal has been fighting COVID-19 for four months at the Central University Hospital of Asturias (UCA). Of that time, he has spent 50 days in the Intensive Care Unit, immobile, hooked to a respirator, unconscious and at risk of ulceration. A tracheotomy, the dedication of the health personnel and that strength that organisms sometimes have when it is not known where it comes from, allowed her to return to his house thirteen months later.
Luis remembers little or nothing about that episode that happened in existential limbo. Her wife, Marta, explains that her husband was frequently pronated to promote breathing. “There were very critical moments and then the medical team would place him face down so that his lungs would inhale some oxygen.”
There are many Luis in the world
Luis’s situation is not unique. Every day, ICUs around the world face critically ill patients who, in addition to the problems inherent to each disease, have to deal with those derived from immobility. Solutions to avoid complications range from applications with linovera, a combination of fatty acids and aloe vera that relieves skin scars, to the use of different mechanical ventilation systems.
A recent development of MICHELIN proposes a complementary technology. Is named AirProne and consists of seven cushions that facilitate the treatment of people suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The pathology occurs when fluid accumulates in the pulmonary alveoli and oxygen reaches the bloodstream with difficulty.
“Every day we face patients with respiratory distress who must be ventilated face down to improve. In this position pressure ulcers are generated that force us to abandon ventral ventilation» explains Gilles Touati, cardiovascular surgeon at the University Hospital of Amiens with whom MICHELIN has developed the project. “It didn’t take me long to find a solution. I thought of an inflatable structure, made up of different modules for different parts of the body. I wrote to MICHELIN. The reaction was immediate.”
Gilles Touati, cardiovascular surgeon at the University Hospital of Amiens.
like in a cloud
The idea that has now carried out MICHELIN AirProne is based on placing these inflatable cushions under the chest, pelvis, arms, knees and shins to evenly distribute the pressure on the patient, improve breathing and prevent sores caused by lack of mobility. Everything perfect, however…
However, the challenge was to find a solution for lateral head support because most patients with ARDS are in the prone position, face down. They found the answer in 3D fabrics and in a design that reduces perspiration and prevents pressure on the ear.
MICHELIN and the Amiens Hospital had solved the problem. All that remained was to get out of the experimentation phase and manufacture AirProne. AirCaptif, an ultralight inflatable products start-up acquired by MICHELIN, took on the challenge.
The AirProne has already been tested in nine French hospitals and will soon be available in Spain as well. “We conceive this technology as an emergency response to the Covid crisis. MICHELIN is an innovative company and there can be many bridges between tire manufacturing and other sectors,” explains Pierre-Henri Legrand, Head of AirProne. The Wisamo initiative, a MICHELIN idea to combat maritime pollution, is an example of this.
Going back to normal is not so easy
Currently, ARDS accounts for 10.4% of all admissions to the ICU, according to a study by Intramed. Some patients show muscle weakness and severe fatigue even five years after hospital discharge. Impaired functional capacity and reduced exercise tolerance are the main consequences.
More than a year ago Luis Cajal left the Central University Hospital of Asturias (UCA). He is still trying to recover from that episode at his home in Asturias. Everything would have been more bearable for him and the health workers who treated him if the center had had technology similar to this one. MICHELIN.
