
The SpeakFree HME hands free valve [Photo courtesy of Freudenberg Medical]
The device is designed for people who have undergone a total laryngectomy, or the removal of a person’s larynx or voice box, resulting in loss of speech.
Carpinteria, California-based Freudenberg Medical’s InHealth Technologies unit said its SpeakFree HME is the first single-use HME cartridge with an adjustable valve that does not require manual closure to speak, enabling hands-free speech for individuals with a tracheoesophageal puncture and voice prosthesis. The daily disposable product is adjustable for an individual’s activity and offers flexibility of hands-free and digital occlusion.
“This product is a game-changer and demonstrates InHealth’s commitment to ongoing innovation and laryngectomy care,” said Bethany Anke, Vice President and General Manager of InHealth Technologies, in a news release. “As a licensed speech pathologist, I witnessed firsthand the market need for a more accessible single-use disposable device at an affordable price point. We’re thrilled with the glowing feedback we have received from customers in product trials.”

The SpeakFree HME hands free valve [Photo courtesy of Freudenberg Medical]
Freudenberg Medical CEO Max Gisbert Kley called the SpeakFree HME “a radical innovation for patients and a groundbreaking technical achievement.”
“By combining InHealth’s world-class product development expertise with the advanced processing capabilities of Freudenberg Medical, we aim to set a new standard for accelerating medical device innovation in the laryngectomy field,” he said in the news release.