Philips Respironics has introduced the Wisp Pediatric Nasal Mask, which supports non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and is the most recent addition to the company’s Wisp family of masks.
Designed specifically for children, the mask features a child-friendly giraffe fabric pattern, a modified cushion curvature, along with support tools to help provide a positive experience for young patients and their families. With the introduction of the mask, the Wisp family now serves infant to adult patients for continuity and consistency in therapy.Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) therapy is used to treat breathing difficulties, often caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or neuromuscular disorders such as muscular dystrophy.
While adult mask options have evolved in the past several years to become smaller, lighter and less obtrusive, pediatric masks have, until now, remained largely the same — bulky and cumbersome.
The Wisp Pediatric Nasal Mask, scheduled for introduction in the U.S. and Europe in the second half of 2016. (Credit: Royal Philips)
“There have traditionally been few mask options for pediatric patients using NIV, making it difficult in some cases for young children to adopt therapy,” Teofilo Lee-Chiong, MD, chief medical liaison at Philips, said. “With its giraffe print fabric and an animated character that helps to engage children, therapy might be less intimidating for the tiniest patients.”
Beyond the kid-friendly theme, the mask includes a variety of features to help patients and their parents adjust to therapy. Among them: Resources to give caregivers access to demonstration videos to help them use the mask, while children can enjoy a fantasy world of Philips cartoon characters; a leak correction dial that enables caregivers to fix small leaks without disturbing a child’s sleep; and an infant-centric design for children, since they tend to have low or no nose bridges as opposed to adults, along with three cushion sizes made to fit infants weighing 22 pounds to age 7, with a shape created specifically to fit the curvature of an infant’s face and nose.
The Wisp Pediatric Nasal Mask will be available in the U.S. and Europe in the second half of 2016, with launches in additional markets expected to follow.
