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.