The home ventilator ‘eva’ was approved mid-2024 under the EU’s new Medical Device Regulation (MDR), followed in November by its inclusion in the Technical Aids Register of medical devices reimbursed by the German health insurance companies. Demand for the ventilator is high: nearly 200 devices were sold by the end of the year alone.
‘We have solved a central problem of conventional ventilator technology,’ says Dr Stephan Rüller, who developed the new concept together with Susanne Greve at the Research Center Borstel – Leibniz Lung Center (FZB). Conventional devices use high pressure to supply COPD patients with air despite their restricted airways – but this compresses the airways further, impeding exhalation. The result: lung hyperin flation, poor sleep and breathlessness in the morning.
‘We took our inspiration from the breathing technique naturally employed by people experiencing breathlessness: they press their lips together lightly while exhaling, in order to create a stabilizing counterpressure,’ explains Stephan Rüller. This keeps the airways open, and allows deeper exhalation. This is exactly what ‘eva’ does – while automatically adapting to the patient’s individual breathing rhythm. Patients wake up refreshed and ready to start their day.
Ascenion has accompanied all those involved over the years – including through some dif ficult phases such as the tightening of EU regulations. This persistence has paid off, particularly for those living with COPD. The licensing partner pulmedix is driving the market launch in Germany and Austria together with its sales partner nova:med. Furthermore, ‘eva’ is already available in Italy and Switzerland, and cooperation requests from the Middle East and Asia are being processed.
(Annual Review 2024/25)