Every year, tens of thousands of people die because of respiratory illnesses and chest infections. The usual method for self-clearing the lungs is to cough. However many people can’t cough effectively because they are, for example, vegetative, sedated, in pain or unconscious. Hospitals use suction to clear secretions, but the catheter cannot penetrate the lower airways, so only the uppermost lung is cleared. Medivations has developed the CoughStim which uses ultrasonic waves, applied externally to a patient’s neck to stimulate a cough reflex.

Funding from Commercialisation Australia will help Medivations to prove the concept to the health and medical sector including regulators and potential commercial partners.

[Picture courtesy of Medivations Pty Ltd]