An asthma device for children and the aged
The Easy Squeezy has been developed by a team of biomedical engineers and a clinician at the University of Cape Town to dramatically reduce the force required to activate metered-dose asthma pumps.
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A collaboration between biomedical engineers and a clinician at the University of Cape Town led to the design of an assistant device for metered-dose asthma inhalers to improve ease of use for children and the elderly.
A new device – aptly named the Easy Squeezy and developed by biomedical engineers and a clinician at the University of Cape Town (UCT) – dramatically reduces the force required to activate an asthma pump. It also aims to minimise the stigma associated with using pumps by adding decorative cartoon characters for young patients.
Statistics show that in South Africa about 10% of adults and 20% of children suffer from asthma, and the country has the fourth highest asthma-related death toll. Since they are relatively affordable and widely available, metered-dose inhalers are most commonly prescribed to those who suffer from this life-threatening respiratory condition.
These devices are, however, not ideal for patients with reduced muscle strength, as the force required to administer the medication outweighs their capabilities. This is especially problematic for young children and the elderly, and could compromise the delivery of their medication.
As head of the Division of Asthma and Allergy at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, Dr Michael Levin is all too familiar with this challenge.
“We spend a lot of our time counselling patients about the importance of using their pumps every day with the best possible technique. And often we place blame on them when they don’t use them every day.
“But what if they are trying, but just can’t manage to get it right?” he asks.
Watching his patients, including his own daughter, having difficulty using their pumps inspired the thought: what if we could make a way of pressing the pumps easier?
