Michigan Medicine Develops Mouthguard to Protect Against Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

An interdisciplinary team at Michigan Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine has developed a “soft, antimicrobial mouthguard” meant to protect against ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) affects about one in 10 ventilated patients and is “responsible for the majority of deaths from healthcare associated infections,” adding “about nine days to intensive care unit stays” and costing more than $40,000 per case. The mouthguard “absorbs secretions before harmful bacteria can reach the lungs,” aiming to reduce rates of VAP where many other clinical workarounds have failed.

The device’s “protective coating originated from research on hospital surfaces and wound care,” and the team is “now preparing for final biocompatibility testing and first in-human trials.” The team comprises “experts in emergency medicine, critical care, materials science, and microbiology.”

Even beyond the ICU, the team behind the mouthguard believes it “could serve intubated patients in ambulances, field hospitals, or during long medical evacuations, such as battlefields.” Another perk of the device is that it costs only $40, representing an enormous potential cost-saving enterprise.