inexo is a patent pending IMT therapy device. Its healthcare applications include Covid-19 recovery, COPD therapy and as a physiotherapy tool for other common respiratory conditions
The Covid-19 pandemic has effected a countless number of people worldwide. For survivors of the initial Covid-19 infection a common Long Covid symptom is breathlessness with some patients having a dependence on mechanical ventilation and a requirement for pulmonary rehab (lung exercise).
inexo is a medical device which offers gentle inspiratory muscle training (IMT) for patients ready to move out of hospital care to continue their recovery from home. Gentle resistance training can aid the rehabilitation of common respiratory conditions and improve lung function. inexo can be used as an effective tool for remote patient monitoring.
Breath resistance training (breathwork) can be particularly beneficial to vulnerable members of the community such as those with underlying respiratory conditions and also as an exercise/care for elderly residents at care homes.
Care home residents with limited mobility can use inexo as a form of targeted exercise to help improve their lung performance. This training can be beneficial ahead of possibly contracting Covid-19 which commonly effects the lungs.*
inexo can provide a form of Long Covid therapy which, under the instruction of a healthcare professional or physiotherapist, can be a valuable tool in patient recovery.
Simple and easy to use at home
inexo can be used as a home based therapy for patients recovering from a stay in hospital or managing a long-term respiratory condition (such as dyspnea, COPD and asthma). It is easy to use, clean and is designed to have a long service life even when used daily.
Easy to use:
The resistance levels (marked 1-5) are designed to begin with very little effort increasing to moderately difficult.
The patent pending resistance valve works for both the inhale and exhale phase of a breathing cycle but the user can choose to focus on simply one direction of airflow.
The user operates inexo by simply breathing through the mouthpiece continuously for a set number of breaths. The exercise is repeated twice daily or as recommended by a healthcare worker or GP.
Printable training plans are available to download from the inexo website which help the user to record their use. This is useful for remote monitoring of a patients journey back to health.
How to use - Rehabilitation and remote patient monitoring
Training effective inhaler technique
Frequently Asthma is diagnosed at a young age. Effective and confident use of an inhaler is crucial to the correct administration of a dose or ‘puff’. Positioning of the inhaler and spacing are important, so too is how the user controls their breathing. Long, deep ‘confident’ breaths help a child to take a full dose of medicine.
Inexo can be used by children as a training aid to help encourage strong breath taking. It can easily be integrated into their Asthma management routine, used in the morning and before bed to help engage the respiratory muscles.
Long Covid & Pulmonary rehab
Increasingly as the number of people who have been affected by Covid leave ICU and make a return to their ‘normal’ life they are reporting ongoing and lasting symptoms. Commonly these are including breathlessness, difficulty in concentrating for periods of time or ‘brain fog’ and tiredness. This is a new area of research but it may be the case that the long lasting effects of Long Covid becomes as much of a serious issue as the immediate shocking death toll.
Long Covid can often be seen in younger Covid survivors (in their 30’s and 40’s) who may potentially face a lifetime of health issues. Where inexo is an easy to use home therapy it may be an important stepping stone to recovery (or symptom management) and is an area of research we are looking at. Launched in December the NHS website (yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk) offers good advice for breathlessness.
Care homes - Breathwork exercise
Many incidents of Covid-19 infection (and sadly resultant deaths) were under reported, but of the figures obtained care homes made up a very sizeable share of the cases.
Care homes have a responsibility for the welfare of their residents. Pro-active adoption of healthcare products such as inexo can help residents experience a gentle level of exercise regardless of their general level of mobility.
inexo can be used with little or no supervision and is suitable for care home residents who have dental bridges, dentures or have an incomplete set of teeth.
Used as a standalone armchair exercise or in combination with other gentle movement activities inexo can be both a fun and beneficial exercise for care home residents. The variable resistance settings keep the breathwork exercise accessible to all.
(Video Credit BBC News – 2 mins) 23-06-20
This short film captures the real life stories of people effected by Covid-19. The road to recovery is gradual with the symptoms of infection lasting long after hospital treatment has ended.
inexo offers a gentle ongoing respiratory exercise which recovering patients can continue to practice in the comfort of their own home. Over a number of weeks resistance training improves the strength and efficiency of the lungs leaving patients less breathless.
Therapy for COPD, Mild Asthma and other common respiratory conditions
inexo is a form of inspiratory muscle training (IMT). Numerous medical studies have shown IMT to result in significant improvements in inspiratory muscle strength, peak inspiratory flow rate, and inspiratory muscle endurance.
We are currently in the planning stage of a new feasibility study for inexo which will record how a selection of users benefit from it’s use over a 6 month period. Details of this trial will be reported on this website.
Respiratory muscle training evidence:
A study conducted by the Pulmonary Department, San Carlo Borromeo Hospital, and Department of Pathology, University of Milan, Italy: ‘Respiratory muscle training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease’. Tests concluded that IMT offers measurable benefits to adult patients.
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17052311/)
Respiratory muscle training evidence:
‘The combined use of inspiratory and expiratory devices in improving maximal inspiratory pressure and maximal expiratory pressure of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.’
The study suggests that home exercise with the combined use of expiratory and inspiratory devices leads to a significant improvement of respiratory muscle function in patients with mild to severe COPD.
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19480865/)
* Always consult a doctor or qualified healthcare professional before making changes to lifestyle or exercise routine. Inexo is not a replacement for prescribed medicine and should be viewed as an additional form of therapy. Always read the User Manual and stop use if you feel unwell.