Frank Fiorenza
A Graduate’s Dream to Save Lives
Frank Fiorenza’s invention was born in his basement, but now it’s improving staff and patient safety in hospital rooms across Canada. For over 15 years, Frank has been at the patient’s bedside as a registered respiratory therapist. On June 12th, 2018, he became an award-winning inventor when his Flusso Bypass Adapter was selected as the Silver Winner in the Nonsurgical Hospital Equipment category of the 20th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards.
Where did Frank’s journey start? He was kind enough to share his story with us.
Frank kindled his passion for healthcare after his grandfather passed away of lung disease. He knew he wanted to help others dealing with that same affliction. He wanted to make a real difference in their lives, so he set out to study in the Respiratory Therapy program at Algonquin College.
Frank told us that, while the Respiratory Therapy program was intensive and challenging, it was an incredibly constructive experience. Algonquin taught Frank what he could achieve with hard work and dedication.
Since graduation, Frank has dedicated himself to the advancement of patient care. This culminated in his award-winning invention. The Flusso Bypass Adapter is a device that increases the safety of mechanical ventilators by keeping the patient connected to the ventilator during a circuit or filter change or during transport.
After building and testing the Flusso Bypass Adapter, Frank joined forces with McArthur Medical Sales Inc. to take his product across Canada. Just recently, Flusso received Health Canada approval for use on patients — and soon, it will have FDA approval for the United States market and CE marking approval for the European market.
With passion and education, Frank has transformed his hopes and dreams into the foundations of lifelong success. When Frank began his program, it was so he could work in a hospital. Now, he gets to invent products for those hospitals.
When asked what advice he might give to new students and alumni, Frank said: “Always look beyond to where an education path can take you.”