Local Specialists Now Recruiting Healthy and Long-COVID Syndrome Patients Pulmonary Patients Invited to Participate in Key Research Trial

01 Dec Local Specialists Now Recruiting Healthy and Long-COVID Syndrome Patients Pulmonary Patients Invited to Participate in Key Research Trial

Specialists Now Recruiting Healthy and Long-COVID Syndrome Patients

Palm Beach County, Florida (December 1, 2021) Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Disorders Institute of South Florida (PCSI), an integrated pulmonary and chest specialty group in Palm Beach County, is now recruiting patients to participate in a research trial. Patients who meet the study criteria to participate will be compensated for their time.

The purpose of the study is to validate Sylvee, a medical device that monitors pulmonary volumes, trapped air, respiratory and heart rates, breathing sounds, and temperature. Sylvee uses ultrasound technology to distinguish the type of sound produced in the lungs. For example, if the air is trapped, the sound will differ from that produced after completely blowing the air out of the lungs. The sensors in the device are then connected to a smartphone app where results are made available for healthcare providers, patients, or their caregivers to monitor lung function and discover a problem early enough to avoid serious consequences.

Sylvee gathers data to deliver actionable insights on how the estimated 100 million people suffering from COPD, asthma, and COVID-19 might optimize their day-to-day respiratory health. The PCSI study will also specifically assess patients with long-COVID syndrome to determine if they are trapping air as COPD patients do.

Dr. Luis Javier Peña-Hernández, MD, FCCP, felt it was essential to participate in this research trial and has hope for what this will do for patients and medicine going forward. He and his team find this product to be the potential next-generation method to accurately measure the degree of airway obstruction in patients with asthma, COPD, or post-COVID asthma-related symptoms.

“In the future, there is no doubt that we will implement more and more accurate technology to early identify those patients who are developing exacerbations of their chronic conditions, to intervene early and prevent hospital admissions, hospital-related complications, deterioration of the quality of life, and even death. This product could be a game-changer in our mission to achieve that goal,” says Dr. Peña-Hernández.

Sylvee, invented by Respira Labs, is worn on the lower part of the rib cage using adhesive patches. Sylvee has embedded speakers and microphones that measure changes in acoustic impedance as a proxy for changes in lung air volume, which is the basis of pulmonary function testing. The device is currently in the prototype stage pending FDA approval.

Inclusion criteria for COVID patients are men or women over 21 years old with a history of confirmed COVID-19 infection (EMR and/or RT-PCR). Patients must demonstrate the persistence of symptoms such as dyspnea or increased respiratory effort, fatigue, chest pain, or cough 28 days or more after COVID diagnosis. Participants must also have a negative history of smoking and a body mass index (BMI) less than 30. Inclusion criteria for healthy subjects are men or women over 21 years old with no previous history of smoking nor diagnosed chronic lung conditions. Patients must be vaccinated against COVID and have a BMI <30.

Participants in both test groups will be reimbursed for study participation at $100 for each completed visit, for a possible total of $300 at the end of the study. Payments will be made with Amazon electronic gift cards. Participants will be notified via email when their gift card is available at the end of their final visit. Interested parties, or for more information, may contact Karen@respiralabs.com.

“We are committed to providing our patients the opportunity to benefit from this and other evolving technologies that will impact their wellbeing and their health. This research trial opens the door to apply cutting edge technology for inpatient home monitoring, a field in which we have been pioneers during the last few years,” says Dr. Peña-Hernández.

About Respira Labs

Founded by Harvard and UC Berkeley-trained scientist and translational physician Dr. Maria Artunduaga, Respira Labs helps patients with respiratory diseases through a wearable lung-function monitoring device using acoustic resonance technology. The company has been granted three patents for its technology, and the team includes hardware, software, data science, and clinical experts. Since its founding in 2018, the company has received $2 million in grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit respiralabs.com.

About PCSI

Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Disorders Institute of South Florida (PCSI) features board-certified lung and sleep health specialists in Palm Beach County. The vision of PCSI is to provide innovative, exceptional care through the integration of state-of-the-art technologies and in coordination with other healthcare providers. With offices in Wellington and Atlantis, PCSI utilizes the best equipment, options, and technology available to provide world-class treatment. Learn more at pcsifl.com.

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