New PALM asthma pump may soon help us breath easier
Millions of Australian asthma sufferers have been using a blue pressurised inhaler from the 1950s to manage their condition. Now Monash University scientists have invented a game-changing pump that may soon help many breathe easier.
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A game-changing specialised asthma puffer that measures and delivers a personalised dose of medication could soon be used to help sufferers breathe a little easier.
The palm-sized device is the work of researchers and engineers at Monash University and can be electronically programmed to deliver the exact droplet size a patient needs, and automatically deliver the correct dosage to nodes in the airway.
This eliminates any chance of air escaping and could see traditional puffers, preventers and other inhalers replaced by an all-in-one electronic gadget.
Dr Jason Brenker, from Monash’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said researchers were hopeful the world-first invention would give asthmatics more efficient relief.
“Asthma is like a rash on the inside of your lungs and if you have a rash, you put cream right on the rash — not around it,” Dr Brenker said.
“To be able to tune the particle size means we can be really be specific about where in the lungs we want to target. We’re really excited.”
The device, called Personalised Aerosol Loading and Management (PALM), is small enough to fit in centre of a patient’s hand and can also track vital signs, such as the speed of inhalation, heart rate and blood oxygen levels.
Dr Brenker said it could be particularly helpful for young children with asthma, who are currently given the same amount of medication as adults.
“Kids have a smaller lung capacity (than adults),” Dr Brenker said.
“But the bigger problem is using a puffer isn’t actually that easy to use. You’ve got to puff just at the right time and it’s actually quite a complicated process.
“Our device takes that guesswork out.”
More than 2.7 million Australians have asthma but the standard treatment — a blue pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) — has not changed since the 1950s.
Dr Brenker and his team recently received more than $725,000 in funding from the Federal Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and hope to trial the device on humans in the next 18 months.
They also plan to create an app which would “talk” to the device and further develop its use for other conditions.
“Delivering things to the lungs is a holy grail because it gives you direct entry to the bloodstream and it’s needle free,” Dr Brenker said.
“There’s a whole range of possibilities — delivering vaccines, other novel therapies. The sky is the limit.”
South Morang mum Sarah Young said a device like PALM would be a “more controllable” way to give her son Matthew, 7, medication.
She said the ability to personalise the youngster’s dosage could have prevented numerous specialist and hospital visits, which began when he was just 18-months-old, to work out the extent of his condition and dosage needs.
“So many kids are underestimated and over-diagnosed,” Ms Young said.
“This could be a way for parents and children to receive proper education and care, and more personalised care would allow him to live a normal life.”
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