Lung Flute provides relief to Buffalo-area patients with COPD

An easy-to-use device developed by a local biomedical company is providing relief to Buffalo-area patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

The Lung Flute, one of Popular Science magazine's best 100 innovations of 2009, is a hand-held device that employs sound-wave technology to break up mucus in the lungs. The device is distributed by Medical Acoustics, a Western New York firm that has partnered with the University at Buffalo for years on research and development.

Though Medical Acoustics is already distributing the Lung Flute to hospitals in the U.S., Asia and Europe, Buffalo Niagara is the company's pilot market for distribution of the product through durable medical equipment (DME) providers that fill prescriptions from doctors for individual patients.

Local DME providers such as such as Benson's Surgical, Buffalo Pharmacies, Complete Homecare, Pro2 and Sheridan Surgical are now carrying the Lung Flute, in addition to organizations such as Hospice Buffalo, said Sharon Raymond, a business development consultant for Medical Acoustics. The firm will use case studies of local DME sales to inform its strategy for distributing the product across the country.

"It's successful because it's relieving congestion in people's lungs," said Raymond, who has been demonstrating the device to physicians in the area. "For folks with COPD, it's not just a regular cough, it can be congestion on a daily basis. Imagine starting your day with congestion and wanting to clear it up, every day. The Lung Flute has been designed to provide that relief."

As Medical Acoustics has worked to commercialize the Lung Flute, the company has leveraged the expertise of UB staff and faculty working in different areas of the university.