Biomedical innovations and their applications

¶ … Invention and Summarize the Significance of the Underlying Technology Innovation

The device titled the Thornton Adjustable Positioner or TAP is an oral/dental device worn in the patient's mouth during sleep to move the lower jaw slightly forward to create an open airway for proper breathing while sleeping. The device or some like them have been previously tried on minor sleep disturbances such as snoring, yet, their efficacy has been unknown for more serious problems such as mild to severe sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, a disorder that creates oxygen deprivation during sleep and can moderately to severely affect the health of the individual first by depriving the individual of restful sleep and in more severe cases by creating oxygen deprivation that can lead to other chronic diseases or even acute death from asphyxia.

Up to this point the most commonly prescribed device for sleep apnea is a device that forces oxygen down the throat of the individual via a face mask. The device, known as a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Machine, or CPAP is costly, requires a prescription, is usually rented by the patient, produces a great deal of noise while it is running, demands maintenance and is cumbersome to wear. The TAP on the other hand is far less costly, requires no electricity or maintenance, makes no noise and can be worn in the mouth, without external visible devices. The most frustrating problem with the CPAP machine has been low patient compliance, less than or about 50% of patients who have been prescribed and obtained the CPAP report continual effective therapeutic use of the device. "What We Found Was That Many Of Our Patients With Moderate To Severe Sleep Apnea Were Not Adhering To Standard Treatment With A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machine,"? Dr. McLornan Said. "Although The CPAP Is Considered To Be The Gold Standard In Treating Sleep Apnea And Is Very Effective," Dr. McLornan Said, "Compliance By Patients Is Well Below 50%." (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 2009) The TAP, on the other hand, has the potential to greatly improve both patient outcome and patient compliance as the device is far less costly and easier to use.

2. How Can You Plan For The Next Generation Technology That Might Replace Or Threaten Your Product?

The most fundamental threat to this new device would be if the CPAP was improved to a great degree and created improved compliance and ease of use. Additional, non-prescription devices say for snoring or that do the same function as the TAP could also threaten the product if they come on the market with similar claims and provide even moderate relief from sleep apnea, and do not require the small key device to align the jaw correctly to open the airway in the throat. Planning for such threats would be to make certain that the marketing of the TAP responded to the threat by making it clear that the TAP is unique, recommended by sleep apnea specialists and available by prescription, approved by the FDA as the only viable treatment for sleep apnea of its kind. Additionally, other products have been patented that are composites of moldable materials, they then conform to a variety of dentifrices and pallets and do not require dental molding and other interventions, the TAP has an unknown level of adjustment, or it is not mentioned in the above article and this may be a weakness in the product and in the marketing of it. In other words if the product is not adaptable to varied pallets and dentifrices the product is not as good as is reported.

3. What New Opportunities Might Arise If You Look At The Technology Trajectory In Other Industries And Their Intersection With The Biomedical Technology

This biomedical technology could be improved by opportunities in technology that would create a TAP that was smaller, formfitting to the mouth or that was made of a compound that was more comfortable in the mouth as well as one that did not require the key method for forcing the lower jaw out. The option of a wearable device that can treat sleep apnea even in its most affective form is a foundational discovery, especially with regard to research that support such a development. If this device is adaptable to multiple pallets and dentifrices it will likely allow placement and sales without the intervention of dental moldings and other device specialization. If this is the case the ability of dentists, physicians, durable medical suppliers and even pharmacies to do direct off the shelf sales to patients, possibly in size groupings but not in moldable products will clearly improve the marketability and sales of this product for a long time to come. If this is the case the sales of such products could serve not only as a simple stop gap solution to sleep apnea, that has been confirmed but could serve as a way to treat patients prior to diagnosis, in other words physicians and others who suspect sleep apnea could perform product testing on an anecdotal level by prescribing the device to see if it helps symptoms and then sending the individual to a sleep study follow up if it does.

4. Write In One Sentence, Why Your Technology Will Be Purchased Over And Over Current Treatment Options - In Other Words Define The Value Proposition For Your Technology

This technology is clearly more user friendly and less costly which will result in greater purchases, more recommendations from physicians and dentists and will serve as a simpler way that current standard treatment (with CPAP) to help treat sleep apnea and greatly increase overall health of patients suffering from it.