Anorit Medical

Ventilation by laypersons during cardiac arrest

Everyday we walk down the street we might become someone’s best chance of surviving. Why not have the right tools for it?

Recent data demonstrate that correctly providing air to the patient, is associated with improved survival rates⁴. However, the main available option for laypersons is mouth-to-mouth ventilation, which besides the intimacy barrier, is a complex task with low success rate.

This is why we are developing a ventilation device that can be used by people without expert knowledge. Our device does not require direct contact with the patient, it is easy to use and at the same time provides high quality ventilation. It will be publicly available for easy access and will fit into the existing process for Basic Life Support.

The Need

Our project arose from observing challenges with the ventilation task during our Clinical Immersion at Rigshospitalet and other hospitals in Denmark. We wondered whether the need for ventilation might occur in uncontrolled environments, where such challenges could have devastating outcomes. This led us to out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest. After interviews with paramedics and Key Opinion Leaders, and a literature review, we determined that empowering bystanders to perform high-quality ventilation would have the most significant impact. By providing early ventilation, we can delay the depletion of oxygen in the brain, thus increasing the chances of survival and a favourable neurological outcome.

Working with this need has revealed that there is a continuous desire to improve the resuscitation process, manifested by the new research, the multiple education initiatives, as well as the establishment of Citizen Responder Programs around the world⁵. The interest of citizens in signing up for this program is a testament to their willingness to help. It is the eagerness both from the scientific community and from the citizens, that has inspired us to work on our device, and contribute to giving people around us a chance at survival and at a life as they knew before.

The Team and its Future

Our team during BMD has been a diverse team of four. Andreas is an industrial designer with medical device startup experience. Minik is an osteopath and entrepreneur. Nanna is a doctor having worked in paediatrics, acute wards and general practice, as well as holding a PhD. Sotiria is a pharmacist with experience from the medical device industry within Medical Affairs, as well as Quality Systems and Processes. Our team members come from Denmark, Greece and Greenland, and have lived or worked in Turkey, Norway and the United Kingdom. That has allowed us to combine diverse understandings of healthcare, systems, resources and social structures, while having a strong international network.

After the end of BMD, we continue as a startup, with Andreas, Minik and Sotiria working full time, and Nanna supporting the project as Medical Advisor. The project has received the Innofounder grant for the year 2024-2025.

Find out more www.anoritmedical.com