Modern critical care departments are now under more pressure than they ever have been. Patients are presenting with increasingly complex respiratory needs while staffing challenges continue, and hospitals are expected to deliver top level care while trying to navigate limited budgets and equipment.
Traditionally, patients with different ventilation requirements usually mean using various ventilators across a single department. Separate devices for neonatal care up to adult ventilation, non-invasive ventilation (NIV), invasive ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) can increase procurement costs, training requirements and equipment management.
Nowadays, healthcare providers are increasingly looking for versatile solutions that can safely support a wider range of patients without compromising on clinical performance. The Panther 5 from CLS Surgical has been developed with exactly this challenge in mind.
Designed to provide comprehensive respiratory support from neonates through to adults, it combines invasive ventilation, non-invasive ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy within a single platform, helping clinicians deliver consistent care while simplifying hospital workflows.
Why a versatile device matters
Every critical care environment is different. Modern hospital trusts usually divide critical care into three main types based on the patient’s age and clinical needs:
- Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs): Dedicated to premature and ill newborn babies.
- Paediatric intensive care units (PICUs): Usually for critically ill infants or children up to the age of 16-18.
- Adult intensive care units (AICUs): Dedicated to adult patients 16-18+.
NHS trusts and hospitals therefore need ventilators that can adapt to a range of patient types and their needs. Standardising a single ventilator model across all departments, AICU, PICU and NICU, provides major clinical and financial benefits for NHS hospital trusts, outlined below.
Increased surge capacity resilience
The NHS reports that all lung conditions directly cost the NHS in the UK £11 billion annually, and respiratory disease is a major factor in winter pressures faced by the NHS, with admissions doubling in winter. If there is a localised crisis or surge in viral illness, such as those seen in winter due to increased winter respiratory illnesses, a Trust can instantly reallocate ventilators between departments as required.
Similarly, if one department fills up, and there is the need to move patients between departments, for example, a child could temporarily remain on a ventilator in an adult ICU and receive identical care.
Minimise staff training requirements
Different manufacturers often use different software, interfaces, alarm systems and workflows. This can increase training time while creating opportunities for confusion, particularly when clinicians move between departments.
One standardised device across all departments and for all uses means that ICU nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists only need to be trained on the one device. This means if they move between departments to cover emergency shifts, they already know how to use the devices available, reducing training requirements and allowing for fast response in emergency situations.
This also minimises the risk of human error when emergency situations require rapid setting adjustments, and staff are familiar on the standardised device and its alarms, menu layout and functionality.
Cost savings for procurement
Procurement teams and clinical engineering departments are responsible for servicing, maintenance schedules, replacement parts and inventory management across entire hospital estates.
Instead of maintaining several different ventilator models from multiple manufacturers, hospitals can benefit from greater operational consistency across their respiratory equipment fleet.
On top of saving for staff training by only having one device to train for, Hospital trusts or regional NHS procurement centres can often negotiate discounts for large orders of the same product from one equipment provider.
The Panther 5: supporting patients from neonate to adult
One of the Panther 5’s biggest strengths is its broad, all-inclusive patient range. It has been engineered to safely ventilate patients from neonatal through paediatric to adult populations, allowing the same platform to be used across a wide variety of clinical environments.
This flexibility makes the Panther 5 suitable for areas including:
- Intensive care units
- High dependency units
- Emergency departments
- Recovery units
- Operating theatres
- Patient transport/ambulatory care
- Specialist respiratory care
For procurement teams, this wider capability can reduce the need to purchase multiple specialist ventilators for different departments. For clinicians, it means becoming familiar with one consistent interface regardless of patient age or care setting.
Three therapies in one ventilator
Perhaps one of the Panther 5’s greatest advantages is that it combines three essential respiratory therapies into a single device.
Invasive ventilation
For critically ill patients requiring advanced respiratory support, the Panther 5 delivers a comprehensive range of invasive ventilation modes designed to support changing clinical needs throughout treatment. Whether managing acute respiratory failure, post-operative ventilation or long-term intensive care patients, clinicians have access to advanced ventilation capabilities within one intuitive platform.
Non-invasive ventilation (NIV)
The Panther 5 eliminates the need for standalone NIV devices. It provides non-invasive ventilation options that can help reduce complications associated with invasive ventilation where clinically appropriate, while providing comfortable and effective respiratory support. NIV can play an important role in treating conditions such as COPD exacerbations, cardiogenic pulmonary oedema and certain cases of respiratory insufficiency.
High Flow Oxygen Therapy (HFOT)
High Flow Oxygen Therapy has become an increasingly valuable treatment option for patients experiencing respiratory distress. Rather than requiring a separate HFOT device, the Panther 5 integrates this capability into the same system, enabling clinicians to escalate or de-escalate respiratory support without changing equipment. High flow O2 therapy is offered through Panther’s ventilators with up to 80 L/min of flow.
The result is a more streamlined patient journey and fewer devices competing for valuable clinical space.
The benefits of one device across all departments
Having ventilators capable of supporting multiple patient groups means hospitals can:
- Respond quicker to changing patient needs
- Maximise equipment utilisation
- Reduce delays cause by sourcing specialist devices
- Simplify fleet management
- Improve resilience during peak demand
- Enjoy better budget and space management
Rather than maintaining several different ventilation platforms, many healthcare organisations are now moving towards standardised systems that provide comprehensive respiratory support across multiple clinical settings.
Interested in learning more about the Panther 5 3-in-1 ventilator?
CLS Surgical works closely with NHS Trusts, private hospitals and healthcare providers to supply advanced respiratory equipment backed by specialist knowledge and ongoing support. As the UK supplier of the Panther 5, CLS Surgical can help healthcare organisations evaluate whether a standardised ventilation platform could improve clinical efficiency while supporting excellent patient care.
Get in touch with our team today to learn more about the Panther 5 and discuss how a single ventilation platform could support your patients from neonate through to adult care. Whether you’re looking to replace outdated or recalled ventilators, expand your ICU capacity or are reviewing your respiratory equipment strategy, we can provide tailored advice and support you in finding the right device for your needs.