Use in Outpatient Settings

Upon completion of development and testing, the company plans to seek approval of the monitor for deployment in all locations where the drug is used, including sedation suites and intensive care units. The ability to monitor propofol concentrations in blood plasma would give health care professionals real-time feedback for titration of propofol during sedation, which in turn could lead to improved sedation results, including more rapid induction and emergence from conscious sedation, and improved safety and efficiency.

Short term sedation with propofol is a frequent occurrence in outpatient settings across the nation in order to facilitate rapid performance of a number of minor procedures such as colonoscopies, upper endoscopies, magnetic resonance imaging, and others.  An exhaled breath propofol monitor in this setting would be useful to provide additional information to individuals that are not used to caring for sedated individuals on a daily basis. That is, radiologists, gastroenterologists, and other non-anesthesia personnel may be superb in their respective specialty, but lack anesthetic skills of someone who administers anesthesia every day. This monitor could provide data to these non-anesthetists that could assist them in the prevention of under-sedation or over-sedation during the procedure.