Easy One Pro, a novel mobile pulmonary function test (PFT) developed by ndd Medical Technologies was used at a free clinic event organized by the San Antonio Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group. The testing was conducted in patients or were suspected to suffer from pulmonary fibrosis (PF) or interstitial lung disease (ILD).
EasyOne Pro has a footprint of 12 square inches and is expected to offer accurate respiratory examinations without the need to search for a clinic or doctor with access to a PFT lab. “The EasyOne Pro’s portability and ability to accurately perform mobile PFTs in under 30 minutes make it the perfect device for this type of clinic,” explained the medical director of the San Antonio Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group, Anoop Nambiar, MD, in a press release.
“It allows us to use the patients’ time more efficiently, better understand their illness, and improve assessment of their condition. It’s easy to operate and allows us to provide prompt and accurate assessment of patients’ lung function,” added Nambiar, who is also the director of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Center for Interstitial Lung Disease.
PF causes scarring of the tissue in the lungs and around the air sacs of the lungs, which makes the passage of oxygen into the bloodstream difficult. Scarring makes the damage in the lungs and the loss of its function irreversible. In a particular type of PF, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the gradual worsening of lung function is associated with a worse prognosis than with several types of cancers, including prostate, breast and colon cancer, being the survival of only 50%, three to five years after the diagnosis.
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“For many in our community, these clinics are the only medical care they receive, so it is vital that we continue such services and raise awareness about the invisible disease that is PF,” stated the founder and director of the San Antonio Pulmonary Fibrosis Association and a PF patient, Dorothy “Dot” Delarosa. “I want to thank everyone who made this clinic possible— from the UTHSCSA respiratory therapy students who volunteered their time to ndd Medical Technologies for donating equipment.”
There is currently no cure for PF, a disease that kills about 40,000 people annually, and the most effective treatment is still lung transplantation, since there are also no medical treatments able to stop or reverse the condition. ndd Medical Technologies is dedicated to reducing the burden of the disease, as well as from other lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The company has also donated its EasyOne Plus devices for an October 27 free screening during Austin Lung Health Day, since one in ten Austin, Texas residents have been diagnosed with COPD and it is suspected that a similar number may be going undiagnosed. The idea was to offer a range of easy-to-use pulmonary function testing instruments that help clinicians diagnose lung disease with greater precision for optimal treatment.