SonarMed™ Airway Monitoring System

The SonarMed™ airway monitoring system’s easy-to-read screen displays status changes of the ETT and monitors the correction of the tube to the optimal baseline. The system also analyzes the amplitude of the echoes to estimate the position and integrity of the tube providing immediate audible alerts if movement or obstructions are detected.

• Assists in detecting ETT tip movement and direction both upward and downward, notifying clinicians of potential ETT migration in real time.
• Bedside monitor displays the percentage and location of any obstruction within the ETT and can indicate if removal efforts were successful.
• Measures the circumference of the patient’s trachea at the tip of the ETT to observe any migration toward a smaller or larger passageway.
• Easy-to-read screen displays any status changes of the ETT, and monitors the correction of the tube to the optimal baseline position.
• Customize alarms to sound when migration or obstruction is detected.

• The Children’s Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety recommends unplanned extubation rates close to zero for every 100 ventilator days with a care bundle implementation.([FOOTNOTE=Withers, L, Finch, C, Jackson, J, Measuring ETT carina distance using the airwave device in patients identified as a difficult airway, 862, Crit Care Med: December 2014, vol 42, Issue12 - p A1568 doi: 10.1097/01.ccm.0000458359.97855.92.],[ANCHOR=],[LINK=])
• There is little standardization around reduction of UEs, and some intervention practices may lead to additional neonatal stress and impact long-term patient development.^3,([FOOTNOTE=Peng NH, Bachman J, Jenkins R, et al. Relationships between environmental stressors and stress biobehavioral responses of preterm infants in NICU. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2009;23(4):363–371. doi:10.1097/JPN.0b013e3181bdd3fd.],[ANCHOR=],[LINK=]) Existing guidelines include ETT repositioning, retaping or tape removal, suctioning of the ETT, reintubation, or administering CPAP.

• Only the Medtronic SonarMed™ airway monitoring system uses acoustic technology to assist in verifying ETT movement, position, and patency during ventilation. This noninvasive approach is less disruptive than chest X-rays or opening the isolette during every assessment.
• Remote monitoring reduces the need to disturb patients to check on their condition, allowing more time for uninterrupted sleep and development, while improving staff access to vital information and reducing unnecessary clinical interventions.([FOOTNOTE=Schiavenato M, Antos SA, Bell FA, et al. Development of a scale for estimating procedural distress in the newborn intensive care unit: The Procedural Load Index. Early Hum Dev. 2013;89(9):615-619. doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2013.04.007.],[ANCHOR=],[LINK=])^,([FOOTNOTE=Grunau RE, Whitfield MF, Petrie-Thomas J, et al. Neonatal pain, parenting stress and interaction, in relation to cognitive and motor development at 8 and 18 months in preterm infants. Pain. 2009;143(1-2):138-146. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2009.02.014.],[ANCHOR=],[LINK=])
• Individual alarm parameters can be set to accommodate each infant’s needs.

• Despite existing reduction methods, including ETT repositioning two-person spot-checks and taping methods, there is no standardized approach for decreasing UEs in the NICU.⁵ 
• Enables real-time, continuous remote monitoring that’s compatible with any standard ETT*.
• Timely notifications and specific measurements allow for a coordinated response to address potentially critical events, such as tube movement or occlusion.
• Helps notify the clinician on ETT movement to help facilitate skin-to skin contact (Kangaroo Care), which, according to a study, is the ultimate healing environment for newborn infants.([FOOTNOTE=Alitimier L, Phillips R. The neonatal integrative developmental care model: advanced clinical applications of the seven core measures for neuroprotective family-centered developmental care. Newborn & Infant Nursing Reviews. 2016:16:230-244.],[ANCHOR=],[LINK=])

Learn about the types of endotracheal tube-related issues and stressful interventions that may be mitigated with additional monitoring via the SonarMed™ airway monitoring system.