The Wright Way!

The Wright Mask is now available with a new, softer connector! The plastic in the new connector is equivalent to the plastic in the insertion piece on the face and trach masks.

Vivian Wright, CEO of Wright Solutions and inventor of the Wright Mask, said the softer plastic in the second-generation Wright Mask is the result of feedback from respiratory therapists.

“Maybe a handful of respiratory therapists have said the connector was too hard. They think it would be more comfortable if it was softer,” Vivian said. “It’s been very few people that have said it, but we thought, ‘You know what, they’re right.’ It would just be a little more comfortable.”

“The respiratory therapists spoke, and we listened.”

The price of the Wright Mask remains the same with the new connector. The Wright Mask costs $24.95 each, with discounts available for larger purchases.

The connector also can be purchased separately if healthcare providers already have a stock of masks.

The new issue of Respiratory Therapy Magazine is now available online. The Wright Mask is featured! Here’s the link: http://www.respiratorytherapy.ca/magazine.html

Our article starts on page 40!

We attended the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation conference in San Diego last week. We gave out about 400 samples of the Wright Mask and received some great feedback. Here’s a sampling of what attendees were saying about the Wright Mask:

Wright Solutions is seeking current and recently retired military medics, para-medics, rehab nurses, respiratory nurses, RRTs and RTs to be account reps for our domestic and international civilian accounts. This is a sales commission position representing our new, one-of-kind humidification system for trach patients. Flexible hours. Pick your geographic area/territory. If re-deployed we will hold your position and territory! Great opportunity!

Contact: Vicky Gates, VP, Wright Solutions LLC

305-289-7369

vickygates@wrighttrachsolutions.com

www.wrighttrachsolutions.com

We all know humidification is critical for trach patients because the trach tube bypasses the natural mechanism by which the nose filters, moisturizes and warms the air we breathe.

But did you know … the problem is even more severe for patients undergoing chemo-radiation, particularly for cancers of the throat and mouth?

The body normally produces about a quart of saliva each day to aid in digestion and moisturize the food we eat so we can swallow it. Saliva also keeps mucus membranes moist, so they don’t stick together. Radiation destroys the salivary glands and dries up saliva, and the glands usually don’t regenerate. Chemotherapy in conjunction with radiation exacerbates these side effects of treatment.

A typical dose of radiation is estimated to be about 65 Gy, and treatment destroys about 80 percent of salivary glands. Add chemotherapy and the dosage goes up to about 80 Gy and destroys 90 to 95 percent of salivary glands. The swallowing passage, the throat and pharynx are deprived of this saliva and it makes it very difficult to swallow. If people have proper moisturization of the mucus membranes, then it is more comfortable for them and easier to swallow.

Patients who have had radiation also have thicker secretions, Humidification can allow them to cough it up more easily, preventing heavy mucus from getting into the trach tube, drying there and clogging the tube.

Our full-page ad is now appearing in the September issue of AARC Times magazine! We’re very excited about it, and we hope it helps us spread our message about just how valuable the Wright Mask is.

The newest stats show that 12,950 people were hospitalized at community hospitals in 2007 for “other non-operating room therapeutic procedures on nose, mouth and throat.” That number is for community hospitals only and doesn’t include private and military hospitals. Inpatient humidification treatments cost about $6,081 for a 3.5-day stay. That’s a lot of money that could be saved if trach patients humidified properly. The cost of just one Wright Mask per month adds up to about $299.40 a year. For each hospital stay that is avoided, that’s a cost savings of $5,781.60. Plus, compliant patients are healthier patients. You can’t put a dollar value on that!

If you get a chance to pick up a copy of this month’s AARC Times, please check out our ad - and pass it along to someone it could help!

We’ve just received the abstract from the clinical trial at the University of Miami, and it’s great! Our saturation levels are in the same accepted ranges as the conventional face and trach masks. We’re also comparable in ease of use, comfort ratings and ease of breathing!

The abstract notes that “negative patient compliance for regular and frequent airway humidification following tracheostomy is widely recognized as leading to multiple complications such as mucus plugs and infections, etc.”

It goes on to say that our Wright Mask, combining simultaneous humidification of both upper and lower airways, “is likely to become a PREFERRED AIRWAY MOISTURIZATION METHOD due to its time efficiency and comfort.”

I’m pasting the entire abstract here for everyone to read:

Evaluation of the Wright Humidification Mask in Chronic Tracheostomy Patients.

Enisa Carvalho MD, Nicolas Crescimone MD, Claudia Fernandez MD,

Yadelis Giguel MD, Keith A. Candiotti MD

University of Miami, Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Clinical Research

ABSTRACT

Background: Tracheotomy patients require the use of hot or cold humidifying devices and/or heat moisture exchangers ^1-3 on a regular basis, several times a day, even in very damp climates in order to maintain the health of airway mucosal and tissue ⁴. Due to the treatment time involved for separate moisturization treatments for both the trach stoma (lower airway) and the nose and mouth (upper airway and sinuses) patient compliance is often poor. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a new custom-designed, connected face and tracheotomy mask (Wright System Mask), developed to increase the ease and shorten the time required for humidification.

Methods: The study was IRB approve and all patients signed informed consent. This pilot, randomized controlled clinical trial enrolled patients with existing tracheotomies. Patients who were unable to tolerate room air or maintain adequate saturation (>90%); had recent episodes of asthma or decompensate COPD or were pregnant were excluded. Humidification was performed with normal saline and compressed air.   Blood O₂% saturation was measured at 4 different time points involving 3 different masks: 1) Baseline-room air with no mask or humidification; 2) Patients using a conventional facemask only; 3) Patients using a trach-collar and 4) Patients using a Wright System Mask. The order of mask type was randomized. At the end of the study patients were given a survey to evaluate the mask in terms of ease of use, comfort and breathing quality.

Results:  Mean age was 61 ± 5 years (range, 52 to 69) with 9 males and 1 female enrolled. Average room air baseline saturation was 98.80% ± 1.26. The mean saturation for the conventional facemask was 98.93% ± 1.23; trach-collar 98.89% ± 1.23 and Wright System Mask 99.07% ± 1.24 (p=NS).  The ease of device use (1-10, easiest) was 8.8 ± 1.4 for the facemask, 9.3 ± 0.9 for the trach-collar and 8.5 ± 1.6 for the Wright System Mask (p=NS). Comfort ratings (1-10, most comfortable) were noted as: facemask 7.5 ± 1.5; trach-collar 8.6 ± 1.6 and the Wright System Mask 7 ± 1.7 (p=NS). Difficulty of breathing (1-10, easiest) was 9 ± 2; 9.2 ± 1.4; 8.6 ± 1.7 for the conventional facemask, trach-collar and Wright System Mask respectively (p=NS).

Conclusions: Negative patient compliance for regular and frequent airway humidification following tracheostomy is widely recognized as leading to multiple complications such as mucus plugs and infections, etc.  The Wright System Mask, combining simultaneous humidification of both upper and lower airways, is likely to become a preferred airway moisturization method due to its time efficiency and comfort. No differences were noted in blood O2%, comfort, ease of use or ease of breathing with the Wright System Mask compared to conventional face or trach masks.

References:

(1)   “Humidification”. Tracheostomy UK Association. 2009. http://www.tracheostomy-uk.com/humidification.htm

(2)   Clair Merriman. “Care of the individual with a tracheostomy: humidification and oxygen therapy”. Clinical Skills. 2008. http://www.clinicalskills.net

(3)   Dartford & Gravesham. Guidelines of patients with a Tracheostomy Tube insitu. NHS Trust, Tracheostomy Group, July 2003

Monte Leidholm. “Tracheostomy Care: Humidifying and Suctioning”. Pediatric Associates  2002. http://www.mypediatricassociates.com/pa/pa_trachhum_hhg.cfm?page_id=4

We’ve been on the Internet a lot in recent weeks, researching organizations and reaching out to others who could use our Wright Mask. There are some great grassroots sites out there, and a lot of ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things to help and support others. We wanted to give a shout out to just a few of those sites and invite you to check them out.

http://wsana.org has been up since 2003. Joel Scheffel created it himself after leaving a nursing home. He noticed that there just wasn’t a lot of information out there to help people like himself who wanted to live their lives outside of an institution. Joel has compiled an impressive list of services and programs for individuals with disabilities and their familes. More than 186,000 people have visited his Web site for information. This year, WSANA is working hard to make people aware of legislation that could improve services to those with disabilities, as well as help them work.

www.portlandburnsurvivors.org is run by Alisa Christensen, who was injured in 2002, on a camping trip. Since then, she’s undergone more than 20 surgeries. She started Portland Burn Survivors Inc. to help burn survivors “reconstruct rewarding and happy lives.” She believes that helping others is empowering, so the organization wants to travel outside the country, volunteering at orphanages, speaking at schools and hospitals and acting as “Ambassadors of Hope.” They are currently organizing and plan to give out their first grants in 2010.

The Treacher Collins Connection also is building a new web site. It promises to have lots of great information on it for those with Treacher Collins. The new site should be up soon. We’ll keep you posted.

If you’re in Colorado, the Brain Injury Association of Colorado has some great outdoor adventure camps and sports camps for those with brain injuries. They’re also involved in public policy, and they have a resource directory for services and products. They even have a special resource directory for veterans. Visit them at www.biacolorado.org.

Please let us know if you come across other organizations that deserve a shout out.

We wanted to share a couple Web sites to check out:

www.uwemp.com is a new site featuring entrepeneurs doing all kinds of great things! They recently published an article on The Wright Mask: http://www.uwemp.com/articles/entrepreneurship/the-wright-face-tracheostomy-nebulizing-mask-the-invention-of-a-new-respiratory-care-device

Also take a look at www.themedlife.com. It’s written by a young man “living with disease, tracheostomy and medication. Every day. Every single day.” The author, Brandon, is a fan of ours and has also featured us on his blog.

Hits to our Web site are also continuing to increase, and we’re very excited about the feedback we’re hearing about The Wright Mask! Please keep sharing our information with anyone it might help!

Kay Allison is a laryngectomy patient who picked up a Wright Mask during the IAL conference in San Mateo, Calif., at the end of June. She recently contacted us to tell us how the Mask was working. The adult-size Mask was a little big for her stoma, so Kay is ordering the ped size. She agreed to let us share her comments. Thank you, Kay!

Kay tells us that the masks she usually gets from her supply house “are shaped 
like the nose one, vertical, so your mask for the stoma was much more comfortable. ”
Here is the rest of what Kay wrote:

“When I came home from San Mateo I ended up having a cold so this worked out
really well that I had picked up one of your masks. It works with my Blue 
tubing into my humifier.  I can lay down and it doesn’t even move on me. 
 
Thanks for coming up with this system.”

We are thrilled to know that the Wright Mask truly is helping people like Kay! Our passion is improving quality of life. Thank you, Kay, for using The Wright Mask and for sharing your story!