Conus Airway has been launched to develop medical devices aimed at improving anesthesia and surgery of the respiratory tract.

MDDI Staff

March 22, 2023

2 Min Read
Nurse holding anesthesia mask in operating room
Image credit: Helena Arumí / The Image Bank via Getty Images

BHV Partners has launched a new startup, Conus Airway, to develop medical devices aimed at improving anesthesia and surgery of the respiratory tract.

The startup will develop devices based on technology designed by Carlos Gutiérrez, MD, head of the pediatric thoracic surgery department at the University and Polytechnic La Fe Hospital of Valencia.

The medical devices are designed to allow simultaneous endotracheal dilation and ventilation. They are designed to reduce the risks associated with respiratory tract surgery, to improve results in different areas such as a complex anesthesia and narrowing of the respiratory system, to minimize the risk of cross-contamination between patients and medical staff, and to increase efficiency in managing this type of surgery.

Conus will initially focus on developing two devices aimed at treating tracheal and bronchial stenosis in children; treatments that require dilation and ventilation of the respiratory tract as a result of malformations of the larynx or trachea, obesity, pregnancy, tracheal rupture, or infectious diseases like Covid-19.

According to BHV Partners, the global market for medical devices for airway management is expected to reach $2.93 billion in 2025, with an annual growth rate of more than 6%.

Management team of newly launched Conus Airway in Valencia, Spain, a startup developing medical devices for airway management.

Gutiérrez (above left) will serve as medical advisor to Conus Airway, while Marta Príncep (above middle), co-founder and CEO at BHV Partners, will be chair of the board of directors, and BHV Partners’ Helena Arumí (above right) will be interim CEO. The initial management team will be completed by Raquel Llorens, senior researcher from the R&D department at Aimplas (plastics technology center), and Vicente Ruedas, senior engineer, who will act as technical advisors.

“It is really exciting to see that more than 30 years of experience as a pediatric thoracic surgeon has allowed us to develop intuitive and versatile medical devices to improve future results in different areas of respiratory illness; an area currently showing high levels of complication worldwide. We hope our technology will make management more efficient by combining several tools in a single device, becoming a powerful solution for the patient,” Gutiérrez said.

Conus Airway will set up its headquarters in the new La Marina international technology hub run by Biohub in Valencia, Spain.

“It is an honor to be involved as interim CEO of Conus Airway, accompanied by the scientific excellence of Dr. Carlos Gutiérrez, and to contribute to a technology that will be a turning point in the management of respiratory surgery. I am excited to be able to provide a corporate vision and to work on the business plan, organizational development and fundraising,” Arumí said. 

BHV Partners claims to be the first venture builder specialized in healthcare in Southern Europe.

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