IMDA eNews 072523

The latest news affecting you and your customers… from the Independent Medical Specialty Dealers Association

Long COVID is out there and it’s real, researcher says

“Most Americans are content to avert their eyes from the long COVID crisis,” writes Karen Bonuck, PhD, pediatric health researcher and professor of family and social medicine, in MedPage Today. “Meanwhile, the millions now missing from public life because of it have no choice but to stare down the gamut of its sweeping sequelae.” The latest CDC data shows that just over 15% of U.S. adults have had long COVID, and 5.8% (about 15 million) currently have it. “For a condition that’s fallen off the radar for those untouched by it, the percentages of U.S. adults reporting any (4.9%) and significant (1.5%) activity limitations is astonishing,” says Bonuck.

Celebrate Respiratory Care Week October 22-28

October 22-28 is Respiratory Care Week, an opportunity for RT departments to let their communities, patients and colleagues know how vital respiratory therapy professionals are to patient care. The American Association for Respiratory Care offers a Respiratory Care Week Planning Guide to help departments organize fun events for their facilities and the community.

NIV device receives 510(k) clearance

Salt Lake City-based ReddyPort announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted 510(k) premarket clearance for the ReddyPort elbow device used in non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The device is intended to help mitigate clinical obstacles tied to NIV therapy, from dry mouth, oral biofilm accumulation and speech recognition. A self-sealing valve provides seamless oral access to the patient’s mouth without the need for mask removal. The device also enables patients and clinicians to use the ReddyPort microphone, which amplifies audible speech tones while minimizing background noise. According to the manufacturer, the ReddyPort elbow safely delivered 45,000 compliant oral care sessions to patients under FDA Emergency Use Authorization.

Aerosol therapy guides updated

The American Association for Respiratory Care has introduced updated and revised editions of three aerosol guides: 1) A Guide to Aerosol Delivery Devices for the Respiratory Therapist — 5th Edition; 2) Pulmonary Disease Aerosol Delivery Devices; A Guide for Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, and Other Health Care Professionals — 4th Edition; and 3) A Patient’s Guide to Aerosol Medication Delivery — 4th Edition. According to AARC, “As chronic respiratory disease continues to grow in prevalence and consume a large portion of healthcare dollars, an explicit understanding of the science of aerosol therapy, the nuances of the different delivery devices, and the ability to provide accurate and reliable education to patients has become increasingly important.

Workplace violence worries clinicians

A report from media social networking company Doximity revealed that 64% of clinicians feel physically unsafe at work, reports MedCity News. In a survey, 76% of female clinicians said they have felt physically unsafe at work, and 51% of male clinicians said the same. Emergency medicine physicians and clinicians who work with patients struggling with addiction and other mental health conditions reported feeling the most unsafe at work. Additionally, clinicians under age 40 reported feeling more unsafe at their jobs than their older counterparts.

It’s Orlando in March for 2023-2024 conference

Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, will be the site of the 2024 IMDA/HIRA Conference. Golfers will tee off Monday morning, March 4, and the conference will begin that afternoon. We’ll finish at noon on Wednesday, March 6.
Coming Soon! More information about the 2024 IMDA conference…..