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\n <\/picture>\nCreated with support from the Recife Center for Advanced Systems and Studies (CESAR), the device issues reports on the gas consumed by each patient\u2014essential information for accurate billing\u2014which is currently performed manually in most cases and is therefore subject to errors. \u201cThe consumption database can also support research by correlating patients, the treatment received\u2014i.e., the amount of oxygen consumed\u2014and outcomes,\u201d says Gomes.<\/p>\n
Salvus has also created a version of Atas O2 that can be attached to gas cylinders to monitor oxygen prescribed to patients in home care. A pressure sensor measures how much gas is left, which in addition to data on flow and consumption, is transmitted to home care companies, which can control stock remotely and be schedule delivery of a new cylinder in advance.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, an employee has to call the patient’s home and collect information about the gas supply from the patient, a family member, or caregiver. Measurements are often not taken correctly and cylinders are changed before they are completely empty, generating losses,\u201d says the Salvus CEO. Medical gas management experts estimate that the rate of oxygen wastage in Brazil is around 20\u201330%. \u201cOur device can help prevent this loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea of developing a system for this purpose first arose in 2015, recalls Gomes. The following year, he and two colleagues, Luiz Paulo Godoy and Caio Cesar, founded Salvus. The first proof of concept was ready in 2016. Around R$3.5 million has been invested in the project to date. In addition to its own resources, Salvus has received funding from the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Research and Innovation (EMBRAPII), the Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses (SEBRAE), the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), and Softex, an organization that funds initiatives associated with digital transformation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Salvus project is in line with EMBRAPII’s mission to promote industrial innovation in the country,\u201d says the agency\u2019s president, Jorge Guimar\u00e3es. For him, automation like that provided by Salvus\u2019s device can \u201cprevent failures, improve logistics, assist in medical decision-making, and above all, ensure patient safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Devices under development in Brazil could help reduce the medical oxygen waste, estimated at up to 30%<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The first batch of one thousand Atas O2 units will be ready in September, manufactured by partner companies in S\u00e3o Paulo and Minas Gerais. \u201cWe are going to use the first batch to validate the system on an industrial scale, and from then on, our production capacity will be 5,000 units per month,\u201d states Gomes.<\/p>\n
The equipment is already being tested by the Hospital das Cl\u00ednicas at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), home care companies Sa\u00fade Resid\u00eancia and Interne Solu\u00e7\u00f5es em Sa\u00fade, both based in Pernambuco, healthcare provider Grupo Cene, from S\u00e3o Paulo, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE) in S\u00e3o Paulo, and various other health institutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince February, 20 Salvus flow meters have been used at HIAE as part of a research project. They were installed in a semi-intensive coronary care unit that historically has had a greater number of billing rejections,\u201d explains Denis Faria Moura Jr., a nurse who works on new projects at the hospital. Medical claims for a particular service or procedure performed by a health care institution may be rejected by an insurance provider for technical or administrative reasons. Errors in the measurement of how much oxygen has been given to a patient is one such example.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results so far are positive. We believe that the device can help us to better manage medical oxygen at the hospital.\u201d Moura states that if all goes well, the device will be installed on around 2,000 oxygen outlets in the hospital. “In addition to providing more accurate doses, ensuring patients receive the amount they have been prescribed, the device can also help identify leaks and plan purchasing.”<\/p>\n
S\u00e3o Paulo\u2013based startup Oxiot has designed a solution for home care, medical clinics, and small hospitals that use gas cylinders. \u201cWe decided to focus on family oxygen therapy to solve a very clear problem for patients and health services: predicting when to replace cylinders and remote clinical monitoring,\u201d explains Edson Costa, CEO of the company. \u201cAnd operating in a large hospital is much more complex than in a home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Development of the device began in 2015, with around R$450,000 invested so far, two thirds of which was provided by Brazil\u2019s National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI). \u201cWe have a working prototype, comprising both hardware and software, which remotely monitors the oxygen level by measuring the pressure in the cylinder rather than the flow, setting it apart from flow meters,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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