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The Human Need for the Haemair Device
Lung disease is a major cause of premature death. Millions of people die every
year who, apart from lung disease, could lead healthy lives. People are dying
both of acute conditions and of chronic conditions. Acute conditions arise
typically from viral or bacterial infection and lead to rapid deterioration of
lung function. Chronic conditions continue throughout the patient's life,
often resulting in a slow, but inexorable, decline in lung function. Lung
disease is an increasing problem, and urgent means are needed to improve
recovery and provide longer lives of better quality. We discuss each class of
disease separately:
Acute Respiratory Infection
kills almost 4 million people every year (WHO figures). The number of people
who die is only a fraction of the number who contract ARI. Of those who do not
die, a significant number have permanently reduced lung function.
Chronic Lung Disease
kills a similar number of people. There are a wide range of chronic
conditions including Emphysema, Cystic Fibrosis and Asthma. For steadily
deteriorating conditions, the only treatment is lung transplantation. However,
only a very small proportion of chronic lung disease sufferers are offered
transplantation.
For example, there are very few transplants for over-50's,
but most emphysema sufferers are over 50. In the UK, about 3,000 people
die from emphysema every year; almost none are offered transplant. Taking
Europe and North America together, there are approximately ten times that
number of emphysema deaths. Emphysema is only one of dozens of chronic lung
conditions.
Of those who are put on transplant lists, the prospects are not
good. Thus, in Europe and North America, there are about 10,000 people on
lung-transplant waiting lists. Each year, about 5,000 join and 5,000 leave the
lists. Of those leaving, about 2,500 die waiting, about 750 die during or soon
after transplant, and about 1,750 live healthy lives with their new lungs.
Our device is designed to replace lung function entirely.
It should give a
higher recovery rate for Acute Respiratory Infection, and reduced lung damage
for those who do recover. It should permit chronic sufferers to conduct active
lives, outside Intensive Care units (for example, at home). It can act as a
bridge to lung transplant, giving healthier transplant patients with better
recovery prospects. In the long run, we hope to provide a full alternative to
lung transplant. Such an alternative gives hope for hundreds of thousands
currently denied transplant. Furthermore, it gives the possibility for "on
demand transplantation", which may be the only hope for conditions ranging from
chemical and biological weapons victims to lung cancer sufferers.
"Haemair Limited has a mission to reduce Acute deaths, improve the lives of
Chronic sufferers and to provide an alternative to lung transplantation."
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