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A UNIQUE partnership between Smiths Medical, part of the FTSE 100
technology business Smiths Group, and University College London (UCL)
has resulted in the development of a breakthrough clinical device that
could transform the lives of patients with COPD across the world. COPD
will be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030, according to
the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The new technology is based on a closed circuit oxygen device invented
over 50 years ago by the British rocket scientist Tom Bourdillon, who
hoped that it would help take him to the top of the world.
Three days before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first
ascent of Mount Everest in 1953, Bourdillon nearly got there first with
the help of his ground-breaking invention. When he and his climbing
partner Charles Evans, a British brain surgeon, set out on the first
ever summit attempt they were breathing pure oxygen from the device. It
helped them climb higher than any man had ever been before and at speeds
that have rarely been matched since.
The two men were just 90 metres from the summit when Evans' device
malfunctioned dashing their hopes of becoming the most celebrated
mountaineers in the world. Three days later Hillary and Norgay claimed
that honour using open circuit oxygen devices.
Bourdillon believed that closed circuit oxygen was more efficient and
effective than open circuit because a closed circuit efficiently
recycles exhaled oxygen, which would be lost to the atmosphere in an
open circuit.
His research was forgotten for 50 years but now Smiths Medical and UCL
have developed Bourdillon's idea into a breakthrough medical device that
could help patients with COPD, which is a disease of the lungs in which
the airways become narrowed leading to a limitation of the flow of air
to and from the lungs, causing shortness of breath.
"We are hoping that this new technology will transform the lives of
people living with COPD by allowing them to breathe more easily,
exercise and ultimately reduce their dependence on oxygen. It is
incredible to think that this breakthrough device is based on a British
invention designed to help the first mountaineers reach the top of the
world," said Dr Jeremy Russell, head of research and development at
Smiths Medical International.
Bourdillon's research was rediscovered by Jeremy Windsor and Roger
McMorrow, mountaineering scientists at the UCL Centre for Altitude,
Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE), who had the idea to
redevelop it into a modern breathing circuit for climbers.
"Bourdillon recognized that the problem on Everest was low levels of
oxygen and if you solved the problem of delivering oxygen you would
effectively reduce the height of the mountain to sea level," said Dr
McMorrow. "No-one knows exactly why his device failed but when I tested
my prototype on Cho Oyu in the Himalayas 2005 it also failed. In my case
the soda lime CO2 absorber malfunctioned and it is possible Bourdillon
had the same problem although another theory is that it was a frozen
valve. A recently invented CO2 absorber called ExtendAir solved the
problem on my circuit."
Dr McMorrow, when a Smiths Medical Research Fellow at UCL, showed his
mountaineering prototype to Dr Russell at Smiths Medical, which has a
long-standing partnership with UCL that includes collaboration on
research in the field of respiratory medicine. The two scientists
quickly realized that the prototype for mountaineers had the potential
to evolve into a ground-breaking device for COPD patients as well as for
other patients weaning from oxygen in hospital and those on home oxygen.
Last year the device was successfully tested on Mount Everest at the
Smiths Medical High Altitude Laboratory at Namche Bazaar, Nepal at
3,400m, (11,154 ft) as part of the Caudwell Xtreme Everest Study (CXE),
a medical research project conducted by CASE. Smiths Medical is now
optimizing and miniaturizing the prototype for patients.
Exercise is important for COPD patients but existing oxygen systems mean
it is often not possible. The size of current open circuit systems mean
that patients are often confined to their hospital beds or treated at
home with large cylinders that severely restrict their mobility.
Portable open circuit systems are not able to deliver high enough
volumes of oxygen for long enough to permit exercise. In an open circuit
system the faster a person breathes the more they dilute the oxygen with
ordinary air. This means that if a patient dependent on oxygen starts to
exercise their oxygen levels actually drop as their breathing grows
faster.
Dr Russell added: "The new system is portable and should deliver a very
high concentration of oxygen for a sustained period of time. It should
help keep oxygen levels constant no matter how fast or slow a patient is
breathing."
Previously, portable closed circuits have been used by Special Forces
frogmen (because there are no bubbles), mine rescue workers,
firefighters and in bioterrorism suits.
George Band, who was the youngest member of the 1953 Everest expedition,
said: "I remember how passionate Tom was about his closed circuit device
and how disappointed he and Charles were not to make it to the summit.
I'm sure Tom would have been really thrilled that his research on the
closed-circuit oxygen equipment did not go to waste and could help
people suffering from respiratory problems today."
Professor Monty Mythen, Smiths Medical Professor of Anaesthesia at UCL
and Director of Research and Development at UCL Hospitals said: "This
project is a fantastic example of the success that comes from scientists
in industry working closely with clinicians and university academics for
patient benefit. Smiths Medical in collaboration with UCL and NHS
Partners makes a formidable team and I am delighted that the Caudwell
Xtreme Everest expedition is beginning to reap rewards for patients."
COPD
COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a term
used for a number of conditions including chronic bronchitis and
emphysema. COPD leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to
become narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out of the
lungs. The word 'chronic' means that the problem is long-term. The WHO
predicts it will be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.
Smiths Medical
Smiths Medical is a leading supplier of high-quality medical devices and
products for global markets. It designs and manufactures specialist
medical devices in three key areas: Safety Devices, Vital Care and
Medication Delivery. Smiths Medical's customers include hospitals,
alternate care such as home care, and other healthcare providers
worldwide. Smiths Medical is part of the global technology business
Smiths Group, a world leader in the practical application of advanced
technologies. Smiths is a global technology company listed on the London
Stock Exchange. For further information, visit smiths-medical
Smiths Group
Smiths is a global technology company listed on the London Stock
Exchange. A world leader in the practical application of advanced
technologies, Smiths Group delivers products and services for the threat
& contraband detection, medical devices, energy and communications
markets worldwide. Our products and services make the world safer,
healthier and more productive. Smiths Group employs more than 20,000
people in over 50 countries. For more information visit smiths
Caudwell Xtreme Everest (CXE)
Caudwell Xtreme Everest is a research project coordinated by the UCL
Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme (CASE) environment medicine -
doctors and scientists studying human systems stretched to breaking
point in extreme environments to increase our understanding of
critically ill patients. The goal is to place a research team on the
summit of Mount Everest in 2007 and make the first ever measurement of
the level of oxygen in human blood at this altitude. This is the
centrepiece of an extensive programme of research into hypoxia (low
oxygen levels) and human performance at extreme altitude aimed at
improving the care of the critically ill and other patients where
hypoxia is a fundamental problem. The Caudwell Xtreme Everest
expedition is being sponsored by John Caudwell, a businessman and
founder of The Caudwell Charity. Scientific studies in the run-up to
the expedition have been supported by a research grant from medical
gases specialist BOC Medical.
Caudwell Xtreme Everest
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