ndd Medical Technologies, a firm specializing in mobile pulmonary function testing (PFT) technology, is donating EasyOne Plus devices for an October 27 free screening during Austin Lung Health Day. The company notes that nearly one in ten Austin, Texas residents have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and it is suspected that a similar number may be going undiagnosed, based on national averages.

COPD, which for some reason flies mostly under the general media radar, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. (138,080) after heart disease (597,689) and cancers (574,743). The American Lung Association notes that COPD is also a major cause of disability, and while some 12 million Americans have a formal COPD diagnosis, an estimated 12 million more people may have the disease but areundiagnosed. Approximately 23 million men and women in the United States have COPD.

The two most prevalent forms of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause airway blockage, resulting in shortness of breath, chronic productive coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, chest tightness and/or wheezing, and other symptoms. Laboring to breathe can limit activity, diminish quality of life, and put extra strain on the heart.

The leading cause of COPD is cigarette smoking. According to the National Institutes of Health, 42 percent of COPD sufferers are former smokers and 34 percent are current smokers. However, the rest — a substantial 24 percent — are persons who’ve never lit a cigarette, and it is believed that exposure to other lung irritants such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust, especially over long terms, may contribute to development of COPD, for which there is currently no cure, since there’s no known means of reversing damage to the airways and lungs. However, some treatments and lifestyle changes can help patients feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease. Timely diagnosis is key to putting those measures in play.

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EasyOne at CHEST 2014

With 40 percent of the U.S. spirometry market share, ndd Medical Technologies is a leader in the field, offering a range of easy-to-use pulmonary function testing instruments that help clinicians diagnose lung disease with greater precision for optimal treatment. The company’s EasyOne and EasyOne Pro portable instruments take up a modest 12 inches of space and are portable, so they can take lung function testing wherever it is needed, measuring DLCO, FRC, LCI and FVC. nod’s patented Ultrasonic TrueFlow technology requires no calibration and eliminates problems associated with traditional methods of flow measurement, making testing fast, reliable and error free.

“A recent study published in the journal CHEST noted that medical costs in 2010 attributable to COPD were approximately $32.1 billion dollars, a number expected to rise to $50 billion by 2020,” says Joy Tobin, ndd’s Director of Marketing. “We make these donations to help educate about the prevalence of COPD, a disease that kills more women each year than breast cancer and diabetes combined. Many people remain undiagnosed, and a simple breathing test completed in minutes is among the most effective ways to diagnose this deadly but often treatable disease.”

Each year, the CHEST conference provides free lung health screenings in the community hosting its annual meeting. Austin Lung Health Day will offer free lung health screenings for COPD. The event, hosted at Barton Creek Square on Oct. 27, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., will provide free COPD screenings, including spirometry tests and lung health consultations with pulmonologists, with hopes of reaching the significant number of Americans with COPD who remain undiagnosed. The screenings will be offered in both English and Spanish.

Online registration for CHEST 2014 is closed, but on-site registration will be open starting today – October 24 – from 3-5pm.

CHEST 2014 organizers filter the constant stream of clinical information to offer relevant sessions focusing on pulmonary, critical care, and sleep topics. The CHEST 2014 program is now available as a mobile-ready web site or through apps for iOS and Android. Sunday and Monday’s opening sessions feature keynote speakers Dan Heath, author of Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, and Kevin Pho, founder of KevinMD.com.

Ultrasonic Technology Eliminates Problems Associated With COPD Diagnosis

Used for diagnosis of breathing capacity by NASA, the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and in National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other clinical trials, ndd’s EasyOne Plus is a leading spirometry device. Its accurate ultrasonic technology eliminates problems associated with traditional methods of breathing flow measurement. Testing can be quickly and conveniently performed in clinics, doctors’ offices, research facilities or at the patient bedside.

EasyOne Pro Portable Single Breath DLCO Device

ndd’s EasyOne Pro is a portable single breath DLCO device allowing physicians to provide their patients with prompt, accurate diagnosis and treatment. The EasyOne Pro performs PFTs in under 30 minutes all in one square foot. Some of the many features include:

• Single Breath CO diffusion (DLCO)
• Spirometry
• Automatic calibration
• Flexible EMR capabilities
• No warm-up time
• Challenge testing
• No expensive service contracts
• High-resolution color touch screen

Easy One Plus Worldwide Leader in Spirometry

ndd’s EasyOne Plus Diagnostic spirometer offers true portability for testing anytime, anywhere. With ndd’s TrueFlow Technology, the EasyOne is not influenced by heat, humidity, barometric pressure, or altitude. Some of the features include:

• USB cradle for direct connection to printer or PC
• Flexible EMR capabilities
• Vast memory (~700 tests)
• Selectable predicted values and interpretation

Platino Studies in Latin America with many publications based on long-term stability of EasyOne in multicenter applications with cross checking. (Brasil, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Venezuela) can be found at:
http://www.platino-alat.org

BOLD studies (the prevalence studies of GOLD COPD awareness investigations). China, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Iceland, Sweden, South Africa, India:
http://www.nddmed.com/inc/data/docpapers/webboldstudy.pdf

Primary care spirometry study in Australia; Walters et al.:
http://www.nddmed.com/inc/data/docpapers/webprimarycarestudy.pdf

EasyOne Pro Lab Portable Single Breath DLCO Device with Nitrogen Multi-Breath Washout

ndd’s EasyOne Pro LAB offers all the benefits of the EasyOne Pro plus multiple-breath nitrogen washout to obtain complete lung volumes, FRC (Functional Residual Capacity) and LCI (Lung Clearance Index) measurements. As well as multiple-breath N2 washout, some of the other many features of the EasyOne Pro LAB include:

• Single Breath CO diffusion (DLCO)
• Spirometry
• Automatic calibration
• Flexible EMR capabilities
• No warm-up time
• No expensive service contracts
• High-resolution color touch screen

EasyOne PC New Standard in PC Spirometry

ndd’s Easy on-PC uses the power of your PC, laptop, or tablet, leveraging True Flow ultra sound technology for a complete spirometry solution. This PC spirometer uses pediatric incentives, displays inspiratory and expiratory real time curves and offers challenge testing. Some of the essential features include:

• Flexible EMR capabilities
• Trending
• Selectable predicted values and interpretation
• Automated quality control
• Supports multiple languages

To learn more, visit:
http://www.nddmed.com

Sources:
ndd Medical Technologies
American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST)
Austin Lung Health Day
Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Lung Association

Image Credits:
ndd Medical Technologies
Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau