VQ Biomedical, a startup born at Duke University, has secured $5 million in funding to advance a device it says will treat severe lung injuries in a less invasive way.
Why it matters: The medical device startup is charting a new way to alleviate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) — a potentially deadly condition where a person’s lungs fill with fluid due to an infection or injury.
In the worst cases, ARDS is treated using mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which pumps blood to and from the patient’s body through an external machine that adds oxygen, removes carbon dioxide and regulates temperature.
Between the lines: But those treatments come with their own health risks…
