Author Interviews, Global Health, JAMA, Pulmonary Disease, Technology / 15.05.2018
Solar Powered Oxygen Could Fill Critical Gap in Underserved Areas
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Michael Hawkes MD PhD
Adjunct Professor
Assistant Professor
Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine
School of Public Health
University of Alberta
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
- Pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality in children globally.
- Oxygen is an essential therapy for children with hypoxemic pneumonia, but is not available in many resource-limited and rural areas.
- Our innovation, solar powered oxygen delivery, harnesses freely available sun and air to delivery oxygen to patients independent of grid electricity.
- We performed a randomized controlled trial of solar powered oxygen delivery, compared to standard oxygen delivery using compressed oxygen cylinders in children with hypoxemia hospitalized at two centres in Uganda.
- Solar powered oxygen was non-inferior to cylinder oxygen with respect to clinical outcomes, and offers advantages in terms of reliability, simplicity, and cost.