TMCnet News
Phone apps to monitor heart for elderly people get approval [China Daily: Hong Kong Edition](China Daily: Hong Kong Edition Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) For the growing US elderly population, tracking heart health via a smartphone can mean the difference between life and death. This week, two Silicon Valley startups received a green light from the US Food and Drug Administration for mobile applications that monitor patients at home, a step forward for a nascent digital health industry that has pressed for more clarity from the agency on regulations. AliveCor said it received the FDA's approval to detect serious heart conditions in readings taken from a mobile device. The company says its newly approved algorithm can detect atrial fibrillation, a form of cardiac arrhythmia that affects about one in four adults over the age of 40. If its smartphone-compatible heart-monitoring device detects an abnormality, a physician could intervene before the patient experiences a stroke or other life-threatening event. The device fits most smartphones and rests on a patient's finger or chest measure heart activity. "Atrial fibrillation is very hard to identify," said Euan Thomson, AliveCor's chief executive. "A large group of people have it but don't know they have it." Thomson said AliveCor can detect the condition and send the data to a cardiologist for review. The company plans to incorporate this algorithm into its application and make it available to consumers by September. In addition, startup Vital Connect received approval for a patch - the HealthPatch MD - that patients can attach to one of three areas on their chest and view their own biometric data on a mobile device. Hot market Sensors embedded in the small patch track heart rate, pulse variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, steps, fall detection and more. Valeska Schroeder, the company's vice president of product management, said the device will hit the market in the United States, and potentially also Canada and Europe, by the end of the year. Patients need a prescription to buy one. What is unique about Vital Connect is that it puts the data in context, Schroeder said. If a patient's heart rate spikes when they are lying flat in bed, that is typically a worrisome sign. But during exercise or a fall, it is a typical occurrence. If they opt in, physicians are notified when their patients hit or exceed set thresholds. Vital Connect first hit the headlines when Apple recruited one of its senior executives, Ravi Narasimhan, as part of a larger effort to hire talent from the medical field. "We know we are working in a hot market," said Schroeder. "We know other firms are interested in making related products." These companies are taking different approaches, but they share the goal of helping doctors track patients remotely to prevent fatal outcomes. Data may also inform physicians about whether their patients should schedule an in-person or emergency room visit. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 129.8 million people visited an emergency room in 2010, with 13 percent of those visits resulting in hospital admission. "By getting an intelligent device in the hands of a patient, we hope to fulfill the vision for mobile health," Thomson said. (China Daily 08/30/2014 page10) (c) 2014 China Daily Information Company. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |