Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) said it has introduced a light-based medical device to reduce delirium in intensive-care patients.
VitalSky is a personalized light therapy system designed to support patients’ circadian, or sleep-wake, rhythm. The program simulates the natural progression of daylight using a spectrum of glare-free white light provided by a large, luminous LED ceiling. The system also provides workplace lighting and a portable user interface with the option of playing calming nature scenes in full-color, soft-focus video. The company plans to add cognitive training to the system.
VitalSky is part of a drug-free light and sound system called VitalMinds, designed to reduce confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment in the ICU. Delirium occurs in 30% to 80% of all ICU patients, according to a 2007 study of 820 consecutive patients admitted to an ICU for more than 24 hours. Preliminary results from the more recent Vitality study at Charité University Hospital in Berlin show a 39% reduction in the incidence of delirium for patients treated in modified ICU rooms compared to patients treated in standard rooms.
VitalSky recently received CE Mark and is now commercially available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Sweden, with market launches planned in other European countries over the next two years.
“With VitalMinds, we have developed a new concept that combines light and sound management, circadian-effective light therapy, staff training and consulting services, to help hospitals reduce delirium and improve patient recovery in the ICU,” said Philips monitoring analytics business leader Felix Baader in a news release. “This integrated approach is based on international ICU guidelines and supports hospitals in achieving the quadruple aim to improve patient and staff experience, deliver better health outcomes, and drive lower costs in intensive care medicine.”