Medovate receives UK patent grant for HME

Medical device company Medovate has received a UK patent grant for its Humidicare technology.

Developed in partnership with NHS clinicians, Humidicare is a heat and moisture exchanger (HME), a life-saving breathing apparatus which has been specifically designed to help prevent critical airway obstruction occurring.

HMEs are used in intensive care and operating theatres to filter the air in patients’ breathing apparatus. The inadvertent use of HME with a heated humidifier in breathing circuits can result in increased risks of critical airway obstruction for patients which can lead to fatal consequences.

Humidicare has an integrated safety warning system, which alerts staff when it has been inadvertently attached to a heated humidified system, therefore helping to reduce risks to patients.

New business development manager for Medovate, Robert Donald said: “Securing the grant of this patent for Humidicare is another significant milestone in the development of Medovate’s technology portfolio which covers anaesthesia, airway, critical care and surgery. HMEs are used with approximately 5 million patients each year in the UK, and up to 100 million are used annually in the US and Europe, so our HME has real potential to make a significant difference in helping to improve patient safety.”