AWAIR: Wyshbone – 2014 Open Minds

Every year in the United States, 1.6 million patients are placed on a ventilator for life support in the ICU. These life-saving breaths are delivered through an endotracheal tube (ET), a flexible plastic tube that passes through the mouth and throat and into the lungs. The ET tube is identified as the most important source of discomfort and pain during their ICU stay because it passes through sensitive areas of the throat and triggers the gag reflex. Currently, powerful intravenous (IV) sedatives are needed just to control the pain, effectively putting patients into a drug-induced coma. AWAIR has developed the Wyshbone, a drug-delivery catheter that reduces the pain and discomfort of an endotracheal tube by applying local anesthetic (lidocaine) directly to the airway. Wyshbone allows patients to be comfortable without the need for powerful intravenous sedatives, leading to fewer complications from IV sedatives. AWAIR is currently participating in Stage 2 of the E-Team program.