Actuated Medical Awarded SBIR Fast Track for Additive Manufacturing of Patient-Specific Masks and Nasal Prongs

Actuated Medical, Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Fast Track grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for its “Additive Manufacturing of Patient-Specific Masks and Nasal Prongs to Improve Pediatric Ventilation Outcomes and Reduce Pressure Sores.”  Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) provides breathing support via the nose through devices like masks.  While many NIV delivery devices exist for neonatal patients, there are limited options for young pediatric patients (1 month to 9 years old) or patients with abnormal facial features.  Therefore, poorly fitting NIV devices are tightly strapped to the head which often cause ulcers and skin damage. These negative outcomes are painful and costly to treat. Actuated Medical is partnering with two premier children’s hospitals to develop an FDA compliant patient-specific manufacturing process to improve NIV devices for these fragile pediatric patients.

“As a parent, it breaks my heart to see facial ulcers on pediatric patients from poorly fitting masks and prongs.  We can do better for these kids. With the support of NIH/NICHD, Actuated Medical is working with experts in the pediatric respiratory field to develop better NIV devices for these kids to reduce their pain and improve their outcomes,” said Maureen L. Mulvihill, PhD, president and CEO of Actuated Medical, Inc.