SodaStream, in collaboration with the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, have developed a solution to provide respiratory assistance for COVID-19 patients in mild and moderate conditions.
The collaboration follows the continued increase of COVID-19 cases across many countries, including Australia, highlighting the need for available respirators in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
At the core of the collaboration is the development of a breakthrough medical solution – StreamO2 – for nasal breathing therapy. The device has been given approval by the Israeli Ministry of Health and a clinical trial in the general intensive care unit has commenced.
It is designed to treat COVID-19 patients in mild to moderate conditions who are in respiratory distress, yet still breathing spontaneously by providing patients with the right levels of oxygen required. Studies have shown this type of oxygen device can prevent aggravation and intubation in some patients, and may reduce the risks and complications associated with it.
The device developed by SodaStream and Hadassah allows for the administration of an oxygen-air mixture through the nose at high flow rates, high humidity, and body temperature. These parameters – critical to the quality of respiration – are constantly monitored and provide a visual and audible indication to medical staff.
While a small number of similar products currently exist in the market and meet the above requirement, they are limited for individual treatment, and not for mass treatment.
Dr. Akiva Nachshon of Hadassah Ein-Kerem said, “We realised that there was an acute shortage of non-invasive respiratory aids to treat COVID-19 patients, and after recognising there was a desire from the industry to help in dealing with this crisis, we tried to think outside the box.”
He added: “We learned that the solution is right here in the Israeli industry in every kitchen. One conversation with SodaStream head of research and development was enough to get things going. On the same day, we already sat on a sketch, and from that point the project progressed incredibly fast. Our vision is to be able to assist every patient in need of respiratory assistance as this treatment can prevent unnecessary invasive interventions.”
SodaStream head of research and development, Avi Cohen explained, “The nasal breathing therapy machine developed by the joint team of doctors from Hadassah and SodaStream engineers can be a perfect life-saving solution. The advantage of our development is the ability to replicate it in bulk for patients suffering from respiratory distress in Israel and around the world.”