Covidien Launches New Line of CPAPs

BOULDER, Colo.–In the first of what will be a family of
products, Covidien has introduced a CPAP device with a fully
integrated heated humidifier.

The Boulder, Colo.-based company, which until last year was the
Tyco Healthcare arm of Tyco International, said it has created “a
global sleep initiative to unite research, diagnosis and therapy
resources to improve patient care to treat obstructive sleep apnea
and related sleep-disordered breathing conditions.” The 2.65-pound
Sandman Intro CPAP is the first device under the new
initiative.

“The goal in developing this product was to improve the
nighttime breathing comfort of patients with [OSA]–which we know
to be an increasingly common and serious condition–and to
accomplish this with a device that is as easy to use as it is
unobtrusive,” said Andy Ray, vice president and general manager of
the sleep and oxygen division.

CPAP users often prefer humidification because it warms and
humidifies the air delivered by the CPAP and reduces upper airway
dryness, improving patient comfort, Covidien officials said.

The Sandman’s humidification feature also has HumidControl,
which works to ensure a consistent temperature difference between
the water in the chamber and the ambient air. That minimizes
condensation in the tubing and keeps the humidification level
constant, according to the company.

With its small footprint–6.9 inches by 7.5 inches by 4.7
inches–the Sandman is travel-friendly, the company said, and can
run on AC/DC or external battery power. It has an altitude
compensation feature that automatically adjusts pressure up to
9,000 feet elevation and compensates for changes in barometric
pressure, thus preserving a patient’s prescribed setting, the
company said.

The Sandman is already available in the United States and
Europe; that reach will soon be expanded globally, according to
Covidien.

The company previously produced the Good Night line of CPAP
devices, which will continue to be serviced, a spokesman said.