NHS Staff at one of Scotland’s hospitals have developed a domiciliary care pathway for the safe and effective management of patients with primary and secondary spontaneous pneumothoraxes (air leak from the lungs causing the lungs to collapse)

This pathway allows about 50% of this cohort of patients presenting to hospital the option of being treated primarily at home, supported by 48 hourly hospital review by a respiratory specialist, until resolution (which is when the pneumothorax air leak stops). Health economic analyses of the pathway have demonstrated significant cost savings and patient satisfaction.

The hospital team, working in partnership with InnoScot Health, seek a device that is light and wearable / portable. The device should facilitate the continuous monitoring of the pneumothorax, electronically signalling to the patient and/or a remote observer when the air leak stops.

This has the potential to safely reduce the number of face-to-face hospital reviews a patient on the domiciliary pneumothorax pathway will require while facilitating total monitored domiciliary care. Hence saving further healthcare costs and resources NHSScotland are looking to partner with a company that can co-develop and commercialise this monitoring device/ prototype device and the associated service.