By David Talbot
The Technology Review
A 15-centimeter wireless sensor, recently approved by the FDA, holds the promise of reducing hospitalizations by allowing automated early detection of heart failure. The noninvasive device, which costs a few hundred dollars and adheres to a patient’s chest, monitors indicators of heart health — including heart and respiration rates, levels of patient activity, and even the accumulation of body fluid — as patients go about their daily lives.
Part of a technology platform now being marketed by Corventis, a startup in San Jose, CA, the waterproof sensor beams data to a special cell-phone-like gadget in the patient’s pocket or home. From there, the data is wirelessly transmitted to the company’s servers. Algorithms detect anomalies and transmit data to physicians via the Web or a mobile device, drawing attention to patients who need immediate care.
“We can transmit data from a patient to servers that can process the data — all without the patient knowing about it — 24-7,” says Ed Manicka, the company’s president. “Your patient could be in Singapore, could be in Brussels, or could be across the room from you. And you can look at data from a website, or from an iPhone. Our system allows the computer to watch a patient all the time, not requiring the physician to continually look at data and act on it.”
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