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Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

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Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#31

Post by onion2k »

yock wrote: post #24
feld wrote: post #8

Maybe the doctors are being scammed as well? Gilmartin specializes in sleep medicine http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Geoffrey_Gilmartin/profile

I can't speak to Dr. Gilmartin himself, but being a doctor doesn't make you an engineer capable of evaluating a complex medical device. My pulmonogolist is a good doctor and understands how to best configure my own CPAP for my health. He really has little idea how the thing actually works.

Gilmartin doesn't need to know the engineering principles involved, just that it provides the claimed the medicinal benefits. As a doctor that's exactly what he's qualified to assess. Besides, he's a doctor at Havard, there'll be some very qualified engineers around to assess that side of things.

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#32

Post by Splendor »

moron4hire wrote: post #17

I don't know enough about this particular hardware to know. I know when I was tested for sleep apnea, the CPAP machine they suggested for me was set on a very low flow rate. A number of factors contribute to the airway obstruction in sleep apnea. One is muscle tone in the airway: too flimsy of muscle will collapse more easily. One is body fat: too much and it squeezes everything closer. One is airflow itself: if the…

Exactly, I think the success of this crowdfunding campaign speaks more to the opportunity present in improving the durable medical equipment marketplace than it does to the promise of this particular device.

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#33

Post by TylerE »

skilesare wrote: post #30

There is breathing going on here so is there any chance that the breathing out could help recharge the battery in a similar way that a hybrid car charges your battery when you brake? I also don't think it is 'disposable'. I think it is recyclable and from what I've seen the $3 is dependent on recycling them.

No. To be effective CPAP has to be continous, even during the exhale.

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#34

Post by dhandel »

chrisBob wrote: post #2

It looks like the found a good gullible market with lots of money, and it will be years before anyone complains. They have an earliest delivery date of 2017 depending on how things go with the FDA. When I see something like that my first question is if the doctors involved are real or not.

I'm both a sleep apnea patient and a retired radiologist who practiced 30 years.

I assure you that even if the doctors are "real" in any given B2C commercial endeavor, there are plenty of frauds practicing medicine. I've seen them first hand. Although we are highly regulated, there is significant risk to one doc whistleblowing on another. I've seen lawsuits for slander. So, the bad apples generally are able to remain in the health care system indefinitely.

As for this particular device, it doesn't pass the sniff test IMO.

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#35

Post by anonu »

If anything, this underscores the importance of this field. Sleep is an under-studied phenomenon. Sleep apnea is even more so... Consider the current field of options, none of which may be any better than the one proposed on Indiegogo. All you need to do is flip on some infomercials or flip through a SkyMall magazine to see that there are dozen of gizmos and gadgets that don't work: chin straps, sprays, OTC mandibular advancement, etc.. etc.. The surgical options are not pleasant either. Look up "UPPP".

One promising technology is a small pace-maker-like device that is implanted in the chest and stimulates the hypoglossal nerve while you sleep: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/834474

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#37

Post by tlrobinson »

TylerE wrote: post #33
skilesare wrote: post #30

There is breathing going on here so is there any chance that the breathing out could help recharge the battery in a similar way that a hybrid car charges your battery when you brake? I also don't think it is 'disposable'. I think it is recyclable and from what I've seen the $3 is dependent on recycling them.

No. To be effective CPAP has to be continous, even during the exhale.

Ah, so that's the C in CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#38

Post by alvarop »

Everything seems to be worded just right in case they don't deliver. From the FAQ: "As a contributor to this Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, you are supporting Airing’s intent to develop the world's first micro-CPAP device."

Also, all physical perks have the disclaimer: "Subject to FDA clearance and doctor’s prescription in the US and local regulation abroad."

From a financial perspective, I can't imagine getting the device certified in multiple countries is going to be cheap. Would they also be expected to check doctors prescriptions in various languages somehow before delivering?

Re: Implausible and overfunded CPAP machine on Indiegogo

#39

Post by twistedpair »

Is the Airing device FDA approved? No, not yet. However, we do believe the process of getting FDA clearance may be abbreviated.

Ha. I work at a company that makes medical devices. It's just so damn easy, you know! Seems like a pretty blunt case of handwaving away this critical step. This is an electric device that controls if you can breath. This thing has a non-trivial risk of hurting someone through electrocution (it's plugged into your conductive mucus) or asphyxiation (though hopefully you'll wake).

So yeah, they'll clearly just POST to the FDA certification API and get a response within a minute.

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