Telemedicine Archive

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Dyna-Vision Real-Time Remote Patient Monitoring System Gets US Green Light

RS TechMedic BV out of Broek op Langedijk, The Netherlands has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Dyna-Vision line of portable cardiac monitors. The devices, already approved in Europe, transmit ECG data wirelessly to a clinician via Bluetooth or through a mobile phone network.

Features of the top end Dyna-Vision device from the product page:

Remote Monitoring of Vital Signs: > 3, 5 and 12 lead ECG > Heart Rate > Plethysmogram & SpO2 > Respiration & Respiratory Rate

Benefits:
> Real-Time Remote Monitoring without limitations
> Internal GSM, Bluetooth Class I and USB connection
> No peripherals required for transmission
> Dyna-Vision© supports all mobile networks

Turn-key Telemedicine Solutions and Interfacing:
> Integration of Dyna-Vision© in existing platforms
> Server Solution, PC software and monitoring devices
> Remote Cardiac Diagnostic Services

Here's a demo video about Dyna-Vision:

Product page: Dyna-Vision...

Here's an interview Ivor Kovic, our former editor, took with the CEO of RS TechMedic in October 2008: Dyna-Vision Monitoring from RS TechMedic...

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Corventis Gets US OK for Wireless Cardiac Arrhythmia Monitoring System

Corventis out of San Jose, CA won FDA 510(k) approval to market the NUVANT Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System. The company's wireless technology revolves around the chest worn PiiX electrocardiograph, a high precision single lead ECG, which sends readings to a mobile phone based device for further transmission of the data to a hosted application for clinician's access.

The NUVANT Mobile Cardiac Telemetry System is the second product launched from the Corventis portfolio of wireless cardiovascular solutions. Designed with a specific focus on ambulatory arrhythmia monitoring, the NUVANT MCT System leverages the low profile form factor, advanced algorithms and multi-sensor capabilities of the PiiX wearable platform to enable continuous monitoring for a broad set of arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, as well as patient falls that may be associated with arrhythmias. Patients can also trigger the collection of an electrocardiogram (ECG), on-demand, upon experiencing symptoms, further aiding in the correlation of symptoms with the ECG.

All ECGs are promptly transmitted to the Corventis Monitoring Center via the wireless-enabled zLink, for review and response by trained cardiographic technicians. Physicians receive prompt notification of urgent events as well as actionable information in the form of Episode Reports, Daily Reports and End of Use Reports via fax, email and/or the secure www.corventis.com website. Using this information, a physician can diagnose symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiac arrhythmias and proactively manage patients remotely from anywhere across the globe.

Press release: CORVENTIS ANNOUNCES FDA CLEARANCE AND US LAUNCH OF THE NUVANT™ MOBILE CARDIAC TELEMETRY SYSTEM...

Product page: NUVANT™ Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System

Flashbacks: Piix Wireless Home Cardiac Monitoring to Undergo Randomized Trial; PiiX Monitors for Signs of Decompensated Heart Failure

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Wireless Wearable ECG, Vital Monitoring System Released in Japan

Nikkei's Tech-On! is reporting that WIN Human Recorder, a Japanese firm, has released a new body sensor and wireless reporting platform for continuous monitoring of patient vitals. The 7 gram HRS-I device seems to be a two lead electrocardiograph with a thermometer and an accelerometer as an activity sensor. All this is linked to a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter that communicates with a mobile phone or a computer, and it all can be continuously powered for three days by a watch battery. Unfortunately, Tech-On!'s report seems to be the only source of information about the device and no more details are available. We'll be on the lookout for anything else we can discover about the HRS-I.

Tech-On!: Wearable Health Monitoring Sensor Debuts in Japanese Market

(hat tip: mobihealthnews)

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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Vitalsens Patient Monitoring System Gets EU OK

Intelesens out of Belfast, Northern Ireland has received the European CE Mark for its Vitalsens continuous vital signs monitoring platform. The packaged system is capable of measuring single and 3-lead ECG, temperature, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry, and activity levels. The system can also expand its capabilities by interfacing with other monitoring devices via a wire, or wirelessly through Bluetooth. All this data is then uploaded to a nurse's station or an EMR via the internal WiFi or cell phone network interfaces. What this means is that the Vitalsens can be used for continuous clinical monitoring or as a take-home device for remote patient observation.

Here's the list of system's components:

Disposable, non irritant, easy-to-apply, adhesive body-worn patch electrodes for high quality collection of vital signs

Reuseable, miniaturised clip-on transmitter (powered with long life battery) with telemetry and on-board analysis

Optional matching belt-worn device forms a telemetry gateway using cellphone networks

On-board intelligence monitors for and triggers on medical events, eg arrhythmias, transmitting data immediately for access by the clinician via the internet.

Product page: Vitalsens...

Press release: CE Class 2a Approval...

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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

HealthPal Wireless Monitoring System Going on Sale in Canada, EU

MedApps of Scottsdale, Arizona has received European and Canadian approvals for its mobile health telemetry reporting system. The company's flagship product, HealthPal, interfaces with medical devices like glucometers to wirelessly transmit data to a health care providers or to personal health record management systems, such as Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health. The system, which works just about anywhere in the world over GSM, GPRS, and M2M cellular networks, already has FDA approval for marketing in the US.

Built-in Timer
- Programmable Reminder to Assist in Compliance

Rechargeable Power Source
- Long-life Lithium Polymer Battery

Audio Speaker
- Gives Connected Devices Audio Capability

Multi-Lingual Capability
- Pre-Program to speak in the User's Language

Audio Earphone Jack
- Allows User to Review / Listen to Audio Discreetly

DIMENSIONS
- Size: 109 mm x 54 mm x 23 mm
- Weight: Approx. 3 ounces

Embedded Wireless Technology
- M2M Cellular, CDMA (pending), GSM, Bluetooth, GPS

Adaptable Technology
- Interchangeable Smart Cables
- Multiple Cellular Networks
- Expandable Memory

OLED Display Screen
- Intuitive User Feedback
- On-screen Menu Features

Easy to Use Control Pad
- One Touch Functions
- Access Menu Features

Press release: MedApps Receives Certifications to Market in Europe and Canada...

More from MobiHealthNews: MedApps attains CE Mark, eyes Europe, Canada...

Flashbacks: MedApps D-PAL™ Remote Patient Monitoring System for Diabetes ; HealthPAL Gets FDA's OK; Wirelessly Connects Providers With At-Home Devices; Wireless Monitoring of Diabetics

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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Modular Teleconferencing Tool Open to Variety of Medical Applications

Engineers from Fraunhofer Institute -- the same people who brought us the mp3 -- have developed a video teleconferencing tool specifically for medical applications. Designed to be upgradeable for specific tasks, the system tries to overcome issues associated with one-size-fits-all solutions.

In collaboration with the Protestant Hospital in the town of Witten, researchers at the ISST have now developed a software program that makes coordination both simple and cost-effective. “Our software is designed to be modular – you start with the basic core services and simply add the specialist individual services you need in each case,” Koch explains. For basic program functions such as barcode recognition, the scientists have chosen existing open-source solutions. To tailor these to a specific application, the programmer simply modifies certain parameters.
The software is used for a weekly “Wound Conference” in Witten, in which doctors present problematic wounds that are not healing properly and discuss possible courses of treatment. Doctors can click on a link to register and download the program, which includes an easy-to-use installation wizard. Once a doctor has obtained their patient's consent, they can enter the patient's data in an on-screen form, including a description of the wound and any laboratory findings. The doctor can then upload photos of the wound using a barcode that was photographed together with the wound. The barcode automatically assigns the images to the patient's file, and the doctor can add updated photos whenever required. To check how the healing process is going, conference participants simply click to display the photos in a series. In addition, the software automatically pulls in new information on how treatment is progressing. All the data is stored centrally on one of the hospital's servers. More than 300 cases have already been documented in the virtual network, and the researchers now intend to expand the pool of basic services and assess requirements for new services.

Press release: A virtual physician's conference

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Remote Wound Management With Help of Smart Phones

Wound patients typically get lots of care at home, either from visiting nurses or from home care providers. Now technology is coming to even this forgotten medical market. And not surprisingly, it is mobile phone technology with backing from a big gun: AT&T. What we know is that the Wound Technology Network, a telehealth-based wound management service, is giving out HTC smart phones equipped with iVisit software to many of its providers for sending images back to specialists for remote analysis:

Under a two year agreement with AT&T, Wound Technology Network will equip its clinical staff including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants across South Florida and Southern California with HTC FUZE™ smart mobile devices when providing care in patient’s homes. Clinical staff will use the devices to access an application developed by iVisit which creates videoconferencing tools for mobile devices and PCs and speak live with a wound care specialist at Wound Technology Network’s tele-health center who will assist them to assess the patients’ wounds and perform the necessary treatment. To aid in the treatment process, clinical staff will also capture images of the patient’s wounds using the HTC FUZE™ and transmit the images to the wound care specialists to upload onto an electronic medical record which is immediately faxed to the patient’s primary care physician.

Press release: Wound Technology Network Teams with AT&T to Faciliate Treatment of Chronically Wounded Patients in Their Homes...

Product pages: iVisit Mobile; HTC FUZE...

Flashback: Camera Phones to Interpret Visible World for Blind

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Monday, November 9, 2009

Toumaz Sensium Digital Plaster Goes on Trial

Toumaz Technology out of Abingdon, UK has announced it partnered with the Imperial College London to perform a clinical trial on the company's "Digital Plaster" vital signs monitor. The technology, which we covered in the past (see flashbacks below), allows for continuous monitoring and wireless transmission of temperature, heart and respiratory rates to help speed up workflow and get rid of some of the cables.

The focus of the trial will be to verify that the physiological data acquired by the digital plaster system within a clinical setting is equivalent to that acquired using current gold-standard monitors in use in hospitals – equipment that is often bulky, expensive and fixed, such that patient mobility is impaired. The Sensium digital plaster is wireless and unobtrusive, meaning that patients can remain ambulatory in hospital while still being monitored. This flexibility allows continuous vital sign monitoring to be extended to patients who would not normally be monitored, thereby offering the potential to increase patient safety. The Sensium digital plaster is a disposable device with a working lifetime of several days, after which the plaster is disposed of in the appropriate waste receptacle.

The trial is being conducted in three phases, an initial phase with non-patient volunteers followed by two patient study groups: patients recovering from surgery, and patients with specific medical conditions in the general wards.

The Sensium digital plaster is targeted for use in clinical monitoring applications such as acute care, general ward environments, tele-care, chronic disease monitoring, and in care home settings. For all these applications, disposability provides convenience, simplicity and patient comfort while ensuring infection control is maintained to the highest standards. Powered by thin batteries, body-worn Sensium-enabled monitors deliver clinical-quality data and intelligently integrate it into an electronic medical record via a network built on Toumaz’s power-optimised wireless operating and networking system, Nano Sensor Protocol (NSP).

Press release: Toumaz Technology and Imperial College London In Landmark Clinical Trial Of Sensium

Product page: Toumaz Sensium ...

Flashbacks: Sensium Life Pebble Wireless Vitals Monitor for Sport Training, Cardiac Health Auditing ; EU Aims to Develop Blood Glucose Prediction Device ; Sensium Chip: An Ultra Low Power Sensor Interface

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Sensium Life Pebble Wireless Vitals Monitor for Sport Training, Cardiac Health Auditing

Toumaz Technology out of Abingdon, UK has released the Sensium™ Life Pebble vital sign monitoring device. Featuring a single lead ECG, a skin thermometer, and an accelerometer to monitor physical activity, the unit can track one's performance for later analysis by a clinician.

Device features:

Wireless monitoring of heart rate and activity optimised for ambulatory conditions

Accurate electrically-derived heart rate from R to R peak measurements

3-axis accelerometer to detect and measure physical activity

Skin temperature sensor

Robust data communication, even in noisy channels

Up to 5 days' operational use on a single hearing aid battery

Light weight and ultra-small size (20gm with LR44 battery, excluding EKG leads)

Press release: Toumaz Technology Announces Availability of Sensium Life Pebble Wireless Vital Signs Monitor...

Product page: The Sensium Life Pebble...

Flashback: Sensium™ Chip: An Ultra Low Power Sensor Interface

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Project ECHO Brings Specialists Virtually Out to The Farm

Video teleconferencing has been making inroads in helping doctors remotely interview patients when a visit to the clinic is unnecessary or is simply too much trouble. A companion problem for patients living in remote areas is that their physicians are also usually miles away from large medical facilities with an array of specialists. Because specialty advice is far away, rural patients may not receive sufficient attention without driving to a distant hospital. Now a project called ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) at the University of New Mexico is bringing together rural clinicians with university specialists to discuss individual patient cases.

Project page: Project ECHO...

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

MyGlucoHealth Adds SMS, Email Messaging Capabilities

Entra Health Systems out of San Diego, CA has been rolling out its Bluetooth powered glucose meter which can synchronize data with a computer or other devices. The firm has just announced that the MyGlucoHealth system, with which the company's meter interacts, can now send updates of patient's historical glucose trends, as well as reminders to check glucose or stock up on more strips.

By managing their individual online profile, each patient can establish high and low thresholds based on personal goals and health condition. The menu allows the patient to designate phone numbers for mobile phone text messages, as well as email addresses for recipients of alerts. In addition, there is a 'reminders' messaging feature on the MyGlucoHealth portal that allows the patient to set up a series of notifications to help them maintain a consistent level of testing, posting or a supply of strips. Reminders can be set up at 15-minute intervals throughout the day to alert the patient to test, upload their stored testing results or to order additional test strips when their supply is low. The website keeps count of strip usage and integrates with MyGlucoStore.com to notify the patient when it's time to order additional strips.

MyGlucoHealth is the first FDA cleared and CE certified Bluetooth blood glucose meter. The meter, along with the MyGlucoHealth Network, form an integrated telehealth platform supporting patients and healthcare professionals in the control and treatment of diabetes. MyGlucoHealth gives patients more direct control over their care and provides clear lines of communication with clinicians and caregivers.

The MyGlucoHealth meter works in combination with a real-time online data collection network to upload and manage blood glucose readings using a mobile phone or PC. This eliminates the need for patients to maintain personal logbooks, improving data accuracy and removing the opportunity for incomplete or 'manufactured' readings. Using the MyGlucoHealth Portal at www.myglucohealth.net, or regional sites throughout the world, patients securely transmit and evaluate their daily readings while communicating those same results to their families, caregiver or diabetic care specialist.

Press release: MyGlucoHealth Adds Patient Messaging and Alerts System to Integrated Diabetes Monitoring Platform...

Product pages: MyGlucoHealth; MyGlucoMeter...

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

CellScope, a "Mobile Phone Based Clinical Microscopy for Global Health Applications"

Investigators from UCSF and UC Berkeley have just published an article at PloS ONE that discusses applicability data and design of a newly developed microscope-enabled mobile phone system, dubbed CellScope. We have covered CellScope on our pages before. The goal of this research is to equip clinicians with a small and cheap technology to image microorganisms and pathology specimens in remote places, for an instant diagnosis or for transmission of images to a central location, such as a regional medical center.

The engineers attached compact microscope lenses to a holder fitted to a cell phone. Using samples of infected blood and sputum, the researchers were able to use the camera phone to capture bright field images of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans, and sickle-shaped red blood cells. They were also able to take fluorescent images of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterial culprit that causes TB in humans. Moreover, the researchers showed that the TB bacteria could be automatically counted using image analysis software.

The engineers had previously shown that a portable microscope mounted on a mobile phone could be used for bright field microscopy, which uses simple white light — such as from a bulb or sunlight — to illuminate samples. The latest development adds to the repertoire fluorescent microscopy, in which a special dye emits a specific fluorescent wavelength to tag a target - such as a parasite, bacteria or cell - in the sample.

The researchers used filters to block out background light and to restrict the light source, a simple light-emitting diode (LED), to the 460 nanometer wavelength necessary to excite the green fluorescent dye in the TB-infected blood. Using an off-the-shelf phone with a 3.2 megapixel camera, they were able to achieve a spatial resolution of 1.2 micrometers. In comparison, a human red blood cell is about 7 micrometers in diameter.

The researchers pointed out that while fluorescent microscopes include additional parts, less training is needed to interpret fluorescent images. Instead of sorting out pathogens from normal cells in the images from standard light microscopes, health workers simply need to look for something the right size and shape to light up on the screen.

Article in PLoS ONE: Mobile Phone Based Clinical Microscopy for Global Health Applications...

Press release with video of the microscope in action: UC Berkeley researchers bring fluorescent imaging to mobile phones for low-cost screening in the field...

Side image: Fluorescent image of TB bacteria taken by the CellScope.

Flashback: CellScope for Rural Microscopy On The Go

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Monday, July 20, 2009

EKG On Your Mobile Wherever You Are

The Department of Veterans Affairs is trialing a new communication system that can get critical medical info to a physician on his way to the patient's bedside. Developed by mVisum of Cedar Brook, NJ, the technology allows fast transfer of clinical data to a smartphone for immediate review.

OhMyGov blog reports:

Prior to the pilot phase, the VA tested the technology internally. Of 600 EKGs read on a Blackberry mobile device, 599 were correct diagnoses. The correct diagnosis rate signals an exciting new reality for telehealth. Clear digital imaging offers new modes of diagnosis and treatment for remote patient populations that may lack access to specialists, as well as more timely care in metropolitan and congested areas. The smartphone EKG project exemplifies the potential for telehealth technologies.
In order to take advantage of the technology, the VA uses a GE Muse server and digital EKG. The mVisum software knows when an EKG is taken and grabs a copy (as does its internal EHR). If a call is placed regarding a patient, the cardiologist can scroll through the EKGs, locating the patient of interest and view the image off-site. Everything is server-based, so the EKG does not reside on the phone-when the physician logs out, there is no accessible data left on the phone.

Company page: mVisum...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Cisco and UnitedHealth Join in Telemedicine Effort

At a DC press conference, Cisco and UnitedHealth announced Connected Care, a joint effort to create a national telemedicine network aimed, at least at first, at serving rural, difficult to access, and underserved patient populations. The technology, consisting mostly of a secure and high quality video/audio link between a telemedicine center and a doctor's office, would likely be supplemented by on-site nurses and equipment that would provide doctors visual and auditory information about basic vital signs, allowing them to listen to heartbeats, lung sounds, etc., all miles away from the patient. The network itself will be open, and Cisco is hoping to create an environment where third party technologies can integrate into the remote clinic and provide doctors and patients with a better experience. The companies just finished a pilot with a bunch of Cisco employees, who reportedly had a positive experience. Six Connected Care programs are currently in development to beta test the concept.

All you men out there better get ready to turn your head, cough, and hold a video camera to your groin.

From the Cisco press release:

Cisco HealthPresence will be one of the principal technologies enabling Connected Care, using video, audio and medical information to create an experience remarkably similar to an in-person visit with a doctor.
To mark the announcement, the companies unveiled today on Capitol Hill the UnitedHealth Group Connected Care mobile clinic – an 18-wheel clinic showcasing the technology and connectivity available through the network.

"In developing advanced telemedicine technologies, we're unlocking new possibilities for how patients can interact with doctors and medical staff. The in-person visit with a doctor is no longer the sole 'gold standard' method for delivering high-quality health care services," said Dr. Kaveh Safavi, vice president Global Healthcare Practice, Cisco Systems, Inc. "Instead, we've now introduced a new care at-a-distance health care delivery model that better connects people, information and processes into one continuum of care. This new technology-enabled delivery model will improve productivity and efficiency in health care while at the same time minimizing costs for access to quality care services."

Press Release: UnitedHealthGroup, Cisco Launch Connected Care, First National Telehealth Network to Expand Health Care Access...

Link: Connected Care...

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Monday, June 29, 2009

ecg@home Personal ECG Monitoring Helps Clinicians Stay On Top of Patient Status

HealthFrontier out of Branchburg, New Jersey teamed up with et medical devices SpA, a Vignate, Italy firm, to create a simple remote wireless ECG monitoring device. The ecg@home features two thumb electrodes (i.e. the standard I lead), and a wireless transmission of the data out to a central server via Bluetooth, USB, or a cell phone network. In order for the device to work, the company says the patient needs to rub his fingers with the K2 solution for better contact

Features from the product page:

* Monitor the patient over the long-term with a substantially decreased impact on quality of life.
* Catch events that only appear irregularly, with the secondary benefit that patients can now feel at ease that they will be able to capture their worrisome cardiac events
* Keep care of the patient in-house, and it allow them perform their own interpretation and analysis of the ECG strips if they so desire, or use an in-house technician if one is available.
* If the physician does not desire to interpret the readings, a third-party service can send the analyzed scans minutes after the reading is taken.
* Monitor the effects of changes in medication
* Access all the patient’s historical ECG readings with the click of a mouse through the RHMS, eliminating the need to search through a library of paper-chart printouts.

* Take ECG readings with far more speed than the 12-lead option
* Through the RHSM, readings can be quickly interpreted either on-site or by a third party scanning service, and returned to the originating facility in minutes.
* Determine the impact and effectiveness of the existing therapy regimen, and adjust regimen.
* Use the analyzed reading in deciding whether the patient requires emergency care.
* This solution offers tremendous saving potential by enabling the decision-maker keep patients out of the hospital when their conditions are non-critical, and to provide prompt medical attention when serious medical conditions are present.

Product page: ecg@home

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Piix Wireless Home Cardiac Monitoring to Undergo Randomized Trial

Corventis, a maker of wireless CHF monitoring devices that measure heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, fluid status and activity, and West Wireless Health Institute, a research organization promoting wireless technology use in medicine, have teamed up to conduct multi center clinical trials of the Piix device, a monitoring gadget we have profiled before.

From the press release:

Corventis' remote monitoring wireless system was approved by the FDA in February 2009, which sets up the potential for a multicenter, randomized clinical trial. The trial will be spearheaded by the West Wireless Health Institute and led by Dr. Eric J. Topol, the Institute's chief medical officer. Dr. Topol is also chief academic officer at Scripps Health and holder of the Gary and Mary West Chair of Innovative Medicine.
Participation in the pivotal randomized trial with WWHI and Corventis will be offered to the sites supported by the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) National Consortium, which consists of 38 of the most prestigious academic medical centers in the United States. The trial is designed to clinically validate remote wireless monitoring technology in proactively managing heart failure patients and reducing hospital readmissions.

Press release: West Wireless Health Institute Teams with Corventis for its First Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial...

Links: West Wireless Health Institute; Corventis technology...

Flashback: PiiX Monitors for Signs of Decompensated Heart Failure...

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Telemedicine Helps Monitor Parkinson's Symptoms in Patients

This technology might come in handy to those who don't want to haul their sick relatives with Parkinson's all the way to a clinician for visual observation of the progress of disease. To test whether telemedicine is an appropriate option for getting patients and physicians together, and whether the technology is good enough to observe resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and other symptoms of Parkinson's, doctors Kevin Biglan and Ray Dorsey from University of Rochester Medical Center enrolled a group of elderly Parkinson's patients from the Presbyterian Home for Central New York into a pilot study that has yielded promising results.

The University of Rochester explains:

Patients are brought to a room in the nursing home with a flat screen television so they can see the physicians.All the doctors in Rochester require on their end is a computer equipped with a web camera.Telemedicine “visits” are just like regular office visits and consist of an update on the patient’s health, a review of medications, any potential complications, and a standardized motor skills evaluation (balance, gait, coordination, and stiffness) conducted by the physician with the assistance of a trained nurse at the Presbyterian Home.At the end of the visit, recommendations are discussed with the patient and faxed to the nursing home.
An initial pilot project, funded by the Presbyterian Home, followed 14 patients for 6 months and then evaluated the outcomes of those who received telemedicine care with those who did not.The study found that telemedicine patients had significant improvements in quality of life and motor function.In addition, those receiving telemedicine had trends toward higher satisfaction with their care.

The project with the Presbyterian Home was so successful that Joseph decided to continue funding the effort for another year with the help of a grant from New York State. Dorsey and Biglan also hope to expand the project to other nursing homes in upstate New York.One of the key obstacles to the wider adaption of telemedicine for Parkinson’s and other diseases is payment for services.While studies of other projects have shown that telemedicine can reduce the overall cost of care, current reimbursement is limited to specific regions (for example, it excludes New Hartford as not sufficiently rural) and generally does not cover the cost of care provided.

Press release: Telemedicine Expands Reach of Care for Parkinson's Patients...

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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

HealthPAL Gets FDA's OK; Wirelessly Connects Providers With At-Home Devices

The FDA has given MedApps, a Scottsdale, Arizona firm, 510(k) market clearance for the firm's HealthPAL wireless medical device monitor. Featuring built-in mobile phone technology and the ability to connect to common at-home medical devices via a cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth, the system is designed to provide continuous uploading of patient data to a central server for analysis by clinicians.

From the product page:

HealthPAL automatically collects data from compatible, off-the-shelf, medical monitors using a smart cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth. The data is then transmitted using embedded M2M (GSM) cellular chip (and soon CDMA) technology to be received by HealthCOM, MedApps' full-featured, web-based portal for health care providers.
About the size of a cell-phone, the HealthPAL is ultra-portable for maximum mobility and its low cost enables remote monitoring to be available to large patient populations. It is considered to be the ultimate in simplicty. While it has buttons for special features and set-up, during daily operation the reading and data transmissions are COMPLETELY automated. The patient does not push any buttons, navigate any screen commands or touch the HealthPAL in any fashion.

HealthPAL is currently approved for use in conjunction with glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, weight scales, pulse oximeters and pedometers. As additional approvals are received, MedApps looks forward to expanding its capabilities to include the recording and transmitting of data from INR monitors, ECG, Peak Flow, CPAP, spirometers, O2 concentrators and more.

Press release: MedApps Receives FDA Clearance on a New Way to Bring Cost-Effective Remote Health Monitoring to More People...

Product page: HealthPAL...

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Monday, May 18, 2009

ECG Interfaces With Wireless Devices Over Body Area Network

Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has developed a wearable ECG with a combined temperature and posture meter. The data is wirelessly sent to an external device, like a smart phone, for analysis, which then can be passed on to a clinician when certain events are detected. Interestingly enough, the system uses cardiac data and posture to generate cryptographic keys that are used for sending the data out.

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