Vapotherm, Inc. is a privately held company based in Stevensville on Maryland's Eastern Shore, dedicated to the development, manufacture and marketing of respiratory devices that improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall delivery costs and improve quality of life for patients. The company's breakthrough technology centers on the benefits of high flow delivery of breathing gases through a patented process for heating and humidification.

The Challenge

There are over 40 million individuals in the U.S. who suffer from one of the following respiratory tract diseases or infections: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, allergic rhinitis, atrophic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, cystic fibrosis, and other respiratory afflictions. Worldwide, the most serious categories continue to grow at alarming rates. The prevalence of asthma increased 75% between 1980 and 1995, and an estimated 10% of the population over 64 suffers from COPD. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, COPD is projected to be the 5th leading cause of disease burden by the year 2020.

The Technology

Using patented membrane transfer technology to saturate a stream of air and/or oxygen, the Vapotherm™ system is able to generate a high flow of warm vapor. This warm humid gas is administered to the patient via nasal cannula, resulting in the delivery of the maximum amount of humidity deep into the patient's airway with minimal condensation or dilution with room air. Unlike conventional devices, the system can provide flows up to 40 liters per minute through small tubes, eliminating masks or other less desirable delivery methods. These attributes--high flow, vapor humidity and warmth-- permits potential treatment applications in a broad range of chronic lung diseases and airway inflammations as well as other, non-respiratory indications.