Corriere dell’Economia (The Economy Journal)

To bring relief to patients and to provide an essential instrument for the treatment of respiratory conditions is always been a goal for Harol, Lombardy company which, since the latest 70’s operates in the medical devices’ field. Harol, which was born in Lombardy and today operates throughout the nation, already includes in its name useful information to identify their competencies: to the H for Hospital, follow the words Anestesia (Anesthesia) Rianimazione (Resuscitation) Ospedali (Hospitals) Lombardi (of Lombardy). In fact, Harol’s products are used in public and private hospital facilities in anesthesia and resuscitation wards, allowing the therapy prescribed by a doctor through the helmet to be way for effective than the mask.

Harol was founded by Mario Callegher in 1979, today it’s administrated by his kids Cristina and Massimo who continue to pursue the goal of improvement in the experience of usage for the patient and of the operators that get in contact with the non-invasive ventilation helmet. This instrument allows patients who suffer of particular respiratory conditions to inhale a mixture of air and oxygen in a controlled microenvironment and without the issues caused by the mask, with the additional benefit of being able to experience a positive feeling both for the breathing of the oxygen mixture and for the possibility of interaction.

With the non-invasive ventilator helmet, it has been found an effective way to completing the therapy prescribed by the doctor, with a series of measures that overtime have been implemented to fully satisfy the patient’s experience with the device. With the helmet, indeed, on average there is a patient’s tolerance four times higher than with the mask. The non-invasive ventilation helmet   is used for a therapy that in the medical-scientific world is called CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or continuous positive pressure ventilation: from the 7 hours of use that the mask allows to 28 hours with the Harol device. The effectiveness of the mask is subjected to the pressure on the face: if the patients can’t tolerate the therapy, his overall health condition regress to his initial stage.

The classic ventilation mask has the disadvantage of causing rashes, sores and bedsores on the parts in strict contact with the face, and in certain cases it can also damage the nasal septum. In terms of use, Harol has come up with a system that has an easy utilization of the helmet and, above all, gives an immediate benefit due to the high flow sent. Since it has been developed for those with acute respiratory failure, by wearing the helmet the patient perceives an immediate benefit, with the breathing of the oxygen flow which gives instantaneously a relief feeling.

The insertion of the inflatable pillow around the neck allows the patient to keep the right positioning of the helmet, without issues related to its movement and without the need of anchoring it with axillary straps in addition to greater comfort at neck level. At the company’s factory in San Donato Milanese, the non-invasive helmets are assembled in a protected environment called the white room, a place where the environmental conditions are controlled.

The technology Harol brought to Italy 20 years ago has been proven successful thanks to the functionality of medical therapy and the benefits for patients’ health, finding daily application in the treatment of respiratory problems.