OxyNov’s FreeO₂ device goes national

QUEBEC CITY – Following its successful introduction into several hospitals across its home province, Quebec-based OxyNov is releasing its technology across Canada. As the first system to automate oxygen delivery to patients, the company’s FreeO₂ device is said to be a true oxygen therapy innovation.

Developed in Quebec, the FreeO₂ is the world’s first device to automatically titrate oxygen therapy. It continuously adjusts oxygen flow to patients to keep them within the target saturation (SpO₂) range more than 90% of the time, according to a study in the Journal of Critical Care. Once the device received government approval, several Quebec hospitals began to benefit from this innovative technology.

The state-of-the-art device quickly and precisely adjusts the prescribed oxygen flow, limiting the risk of complications for patients. Better SpO₂ control helps reduce tachycardia, myocardial ischemia, and arrhythmia.

These conditions can cause pulmonary hypertension, particularly in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Hospitals are struggling with a significant increase in occupancy rates and wait times, due in large part to the spike in cases of respiratory issues. According to a recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, COPD hospitalizations have risen by 69% over the past 16 years, mainly because of air pollution, forest fires, and indoor toxic inhalants.

In a high-pressure situation like this, the FreeO₂ device supports the hospital system, making sure patients receive optimized treatment and providing relief for hospitals. Innovation is a major clinical resource, helping to ease the burden on health care workers. By reducing the length of stay for COPD patients by almost 30%, it improves bed availability and reduces per-patient costs by almost 21%, according to research published in BMJ Open.

The OxyNov team has fully mobilized to meet the equipment needs of hospitals across Quebec and the rest of Canada. Some facilities in the province are already benefitting from this advancement, and the next units are ready to ship. “We are delighted to be helping improve the Quebec healthcare system with our device that optimizes oxygen therapy,” said OxyNov CEO Patrice Allibert (pictured), Ph.D.

To support medical staff in their use of the FreeO₂ device, OxyNov has set up the OxyNov Academy, an educational platform with numerous resources to help medical teams effectively integrate the device into their practice.

About OxyNov
In 2009, two physician-researchers joined forces after a clinical research project to develop a device to automate the administration of oxygen therapy. They founded OxyNov Inc. to focus entirely on developing the FreeO₂ device and improving the application of this treatment on a daily basis. The company has been present in Europe since 2017 and in Canada since 2019. For more information, visit www.oxynov.com.

About FreeO₂ Device
The FreeO₂ device is a revolution for the oxygen therapy field. It was developed by physician-researchers at Laval University and licensed by Health Canada in 2019. It continuously and automatically adjusts each patient’s oxygen flow, accounting for individual needs and dynamics to help patients remain within the target oxygen saturation (SpO2) set by the clinician. The results of various published studies suggest that the FreeO₂ device is statistically superior in maintaining normoxia compared to manual or constant flow oxygen titration. Just as importantly, the FreeO₂ device minimizes the duration of desaturation or severe supersaturation compared to conventional oxygen therapy; in all studies, there was a statistically significant difference in favour of the FreeO₂ device.