F&P unveils new sleep technology

IRVINE, Calif.--Fisher & Paykel is on the cusp of releasing “a completely unique (sleep) technology that nobody has ever seen before” in the United States, said Christian Kiely, marketing manager. The company expected FDA 510k clearance on its new SensAwake product early this summer. Like the name suggests, SensAwake senses when a patient awakens and reduces the air pressure, making it easier for him to fall back to sleep, Kiely said. Fisher & Paykel has incorporated SensAwake into its new auto CPAP, the SleepStyle 200. “If you set the range of the auto from 4 to 18 centimeters , when it detects the patient is awake, it will bring the pressure down to 4,” Kiely said. “What we are saying is that if the patient is awake, they don't need the higher pressure at all. So we are going to bring them all the way down to the bottom of the range, let them get back to sleep, and once they get back to sleep, the auto algorithm takes over again.” SensAwake works a little like a RAMP feature, which gradually increases air pressure overtime when the patient first goes to sleep. The critical difference, however, is that RAMP, does not kick on again if the patient wakes up. Fisher & Paykel plans to make SensAwake, which is available in several foreign markets, the cornerstone of future CPAP products, Kiely said. For HME providers, SensAwake offers another way for them to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, he said. “Ultimately what matters most to the HME provider is patient comfort,” Kiely said. “Looking out a few months, with the new 12-week trial provisions added to the recent National Coverage Determination, compliance is going to be critically important.”