Dr. Data Santorino, one of the inventors of the Augmented Infant Resuscitator is a champion of, and serial innovator within global health. He has been recognized as a hidden hero, for his efforts at fighting pneumonia, a silent killer.

You can find more information here.

We are very happy to announce that we have completed data gathering in the first two of three arms of our field trials. We have completed our Randomized Control Trial (RCT) data gathering in both Uganda and Boston. We have tested over 250 participants in over one thousand of ventilation scenarios. Our preliminary analysis of the data is promising. It appears that real-time, objective feedback leads to significantly faster recognition of ventilation issues, significantly increases the probability of correct ventilation, significantly shortens the elapsed time to effective ventilation and significantly prolongs the duration of effective ventilation.

Stay tuned for quantitative results as we prepare manuscripts for publication!

We have finished collecting data for our Randomized Control Trial (RCT) in Boston! We observed 60 participants in 240 ventilation scenarios. This is part of a larger ongoing trial to measure the effect of realtime feedback on ventilation effectiveness.

We are collecting data in Uganda, and when we have all of the data we can share our results. We are also open to sharing devices for friends, partners and collaborators to independently replicate and refine our findings. If you are interested in helping out, please contact us!

The AIR team is exhibiting at the Saving Live at Birth DevelopmentXChange in Washington, D.C.

Our apologies for the low res picture. We were so excited to share our most recent R4 prototype with the global health community, and learn from the other teams of innovators in newborn and maternal health that we forgot to take a better picture of our booth.

We have posted some videos to show the R4 device in action!

• Basic bag valve mask (BVM) positive pressure ventilation (PPV) of a training manikin
• Installing the R4 prototype on a Laerdal BVM resuscitator
• R4 diagnosing sharp compression that causes a face-mask leak

As we validated the R4 prototype, we noticed that some practitioners squeeze the bag of the bag valve mask ventilator very abruptly. This causes a rapid, sharp pressure rise, as opposed to a smooth, gentle pressure rise. For a newborn struggling to take its first breath, we want to inflate and expand the lungs gently and gradually.

To help encourage gentle, smooth ventilation, we have implemented a new feature in our feedback algorithm. It now provides instant feedback if the breath is too rapid/sudden. This will help healthcare workers learn, practice and reinforce all aspects of proper skill, and give them the confidence to act decisively in an emergency situation.

We are very proud to present our latest prototype. The AIR device provides feedback to healthcare workers, and in turn, healthcare workers provide feedback to the AIR team. When our users speak, we listen.

4th generation prototype device

This 4th generation device incorporates their feedback. Along with an improved sensing algorithm, the R4 features:

• Narrower housing for better visibility of the face, mask and newborn
• Larger, easy-to-read display icons
• ✓ and ✕ for feedback redundancy
• Battery life indicator
• Easy-access power switch
• Charging indicator light

This device will undergo validation testing and a randomized control trial in Boston and Uganda.

The AIR team took part in an innovation event aimed at improving newborn survival. The team was joined by an industrial designer, Beth Mosher, who is also a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design.

You can watch a video, or read an article summarizing the event.

This event challenged the team to examine the challenges of perinatal care in resource-limited settings.

Our team remains laser-focused on the AIR device, and neonatal resuscitation. We believe the AIR device is the best way to give birth attendants the skills and confidence to save more lives.

After some deliberation, the judges awarded The Augmented Infant Resuscitator first prize for best pitch at the Boston Children’s Hospital Innovation Tank yesterday!

Kevin Cedrone at the Boston Children’s Hospital Innovation Tank pitch contest.

The judges decided to give the AIR team all $30,000 of the prize money. This is going to do great things to accelerate the development and distribution of our devices!