New Medical Device Helps Those With Asthma And COPD

A man helping an older woman walk with a cane.


Nearly 74% of Americans use their inhalers improperly and about one-third of adults with inhalers miss doses.  Propeller Health’s FDA-cleared sensors hope to solve this problem.  The digital inhaler technology for those with asthma and COPD has a smartphone app linked to sensors on your inhaler which tracks your usage and dosage.  In a 2021 study of adults with COPD, researchers found that sensor users needed less rescue medication.  And a 2018 study of 224 people with asthma found that emergency room visits and hospital stays dropped with sensor use.

Pacific Grove, CA New Hope For Seniors With COPD

A woman with glasses and a tie dye shirt smoking.


Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be extremely difficult.  A new medical device called Zephyr, which is working miracles in some people.  The tiny lung valve needs to be  implanted in the lungs via a bronchoscope.  The one-way valve blocks air from invading the damaged part of the lungs, where it can get trapped and hinder breathing.  “The instant I woke up from anesthesia, I felt the difference,†said one woman who had the device implanted.  Cardio Pulmonary Associates on Garden Road in Monterey would have more information on the non-surgical device which 20K people have already been treated with.

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/lung-disease-breakthrough.html