Medical devices: a unique laboratory to test their characteristics

In a world where medical devices’ technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, the challenge is no longer just accessing it, but matching the range of high-quality devices to the unique medical condition and profile of each patient. For healthcare professionals, the question is: How can they, amid the constant stream of new medical devices, learn about and compare them to ensure that each patient receives the most appropriate one? At Air Liquide Healthcare, we believe that we should support them, and our assistance has been based on scientific rigour for more than 10 years.  Manufacturers are required to meet strict specifications that are highly standardized in terms of the medical device’s characteristics. Taking a complementary approach, Air Liquide Healthcare focuses on developing tests that mimic the human body to measure the performance of medical devices under simulated physiological conditions. Our objective is to provide a diversified and reliable portfolio of devices for healthcare professionals and people living with chronic diseases.

Explor! A center of expertise

To deliver on our commitment to value in healthcare, Air Liquide Healthcare has developed an autonomous scientific center dedicated to assess medical devices used for respiratory and diabetes therapies. This center of expertise, known as Explor!, acts as a bridge between industrial innovation from manufacters and patient care at home.

What makes this approach unique? reliability and expertise

Based on an expert perspective, our laboratory focuses on the technical performance of medical devices. Explor! is powered by a multidisciplinary team of engineers, technicians, and PhD researchers who master the entire value chain—from inventing test benches to conduct experiments to publishing peer-reviewed scientific evidence. For instance, this involves designing a test bench that mimics breathing with an artificial lung to measure the performance of medical devices in pushing air or affecting the amplitude of inhalation or exhalation. It also involves measuring the accuracy of CGMs by mimicking glycemic profiles. Working alongside academic laboratories, our scientific work is validated by the scientific community, published, and shared with manufacturers in a constructive manner.

From laboratory data to shared expertise

Because a medical device is far more than a list of technical specifications and standards, we conduct scientific assessments and measurements, objective and reproducible, to compare medical devices with each other thanks to 15 proprietary testing protocols designed to simulate complex human physiology. Choosing the device best suited to a patient’s profile depends on understanding how they behave in specific circumstances.

• in respiratory care: we assess oxygen concentrators (stationary, portable and transportable), CPAP on sleep apnea field, bi level and life support ventilators,and cough assist. We use advanced passive and active lung simulators to mimic various pathologies. This helps us understand how a medical device’s algorithm responds to a patient’s breathing patterns. For example, we are analysing the ability of algorithms to detect and classify hypopneas and apneas (central vs. obstructive). We are also attentive to pressure accuracy and its stability, asking if the device delivers the set pressure even with leaks.
• in diabetes management: we evaluate both continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices and insulin pumps. For instance, by simulating fluctuating glycemic profiles, we are testing various aspects of the CGM’s accuracy throughout the trial, in extreme cases of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia (speed and reliability).

We identify new medical devices and provide healthcare professionals with in-depth technical information to help them decide which device to choose. Furthermore, we seek out emerging technologies and disruptive innovations to make these cutting-edge devices more accessible to healthcare professionals, thereby helping them to improve their practice.

Air Liquide Healthcare, part of scientific community

We are fostering academic and scientific partnerships through PhD programs and research projects.

Delivering knowledge to healthcare professionals

At the heart of our strategy lies a commitment to delivering added value. Our Explor! laboratory shares its expertise with healthcare professionals to help them select the most suitable device for their patients with diabetes or chronic respiratory conditions, with the aim of improving treatment adherence. Based on the reliability of our tests, we collaborate with suppliers, manufacturers and innovative players to diversify our range of care services through a diversified portfolio.

Summary

Explor! laboratory provides healthcare professionals with scientific assessments to ensure that the selected medical device meets the needs of each patient.

• Uniqueness: Air Liquide Healthcare is the only home healthcare provider with a dedicated laboratory (Explor!) providing evidence-based measurements to ensure the choice of equipment is always guided by objective data and the clinical objectives of the prescribing physician.
• Scientific expertise: With 15 in-house test benches and over 50 tests per year, we are able to simulate the patient’s physiology and condition in order to ensure that the medical device is suited to the patient’s profile.
• Evidence: 20+ scientific publications since its creation, Explor! provides reliable sources and guides healthcare professionals in their medical devices’ choices.