Sommetrics, a company providing products and services to treat disorders of the upper airway, has been awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2018 Visionary Innovation Leadership Award for Acute Airway Management. The company is being recognized for its aerFree Airway Management System (AMS), the first and only FDA-cleared external negative pressure device to support the patency of the upper airway during medical procedures that require mild to moderate sedation.
“We’re honored to receive this prestigious award for our efforts in innovating an effective, non-invasive treatment to reduce upper airway obstruction during sedation,” says Richard Rose, MD, Sommetrics’ CEO and board chair, in a release. “It’s our mission to deliver effective treatment options to treat disorders of the upper airway, including those that occur in the acute care setting.”
AerFree AMS consists of a single-patient use silicone collar and vacuum tubing. The collar is fitted on the neck and the vacuum tubing is connected to an external vacuum source, which generates negative pressure, holding the airway open by gently pulling the underlying tissue forward. The device is non-invasive and uses Sommetrics’ proprietary aer+ continuous negative external pressure (cNEP) technology. By applying negative pressure to a patient’s neck over the upper airway, the device provides a comfortable, well-tolerated, and non-invasive airway support mechanism.
Last year, Sommetrics received Health Canada approval for its sleep apnea therapy system, aerSleep. It is not currently approved in the United States.
