New App Converts Smart Phones into Medical Monitoring Devices
Researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) led by professor and head of biomedical engineering, Ki Chon, have created an iPhone app that turns smartphones into refined medical monitoring devices. The new app has the ability to measure a patient’s heart rate, heart rhythm, respiration rate, and blood oxygen saturation using the phone's built-in video camera. Testing of the app’s features confirmed smartphone readings are as accurate as heart-monitoring medical equipment found in clinical settings.
Vital Signs Captured by Smartphone Video Cameras
The new app utilizes the smartphone’s digital camera to examine video clips of a patient’s fingertips pressed against the lens of the camera. It detects subtle changes in the color of reflected light from the reflection of pulsing blood in the person’s finger to yield accurate vital signs. Chon, an expert in signal processes, developed complex algorithms that process data gathered by the smartphone’s video camera.
Ki Chon (left) in his lab with
PhD candidate Christopher Sully
The WPI is hard at work developing versions of the app that are compatible with iPads and other smartphones. Also, an app that is able to detect atrial fibrillation may be in the near future. "We believe there are many applications for this technology, to help patients monitor themselves, and to help clinicians care for their patients. One of the advantages of mobile phone monitoring is that it allows patients to make baseline measurements at any time, building a database that could allow for improved detection of disease states,” says Chon.
New Heart Monitoring App for Physicians
General Electric (GE) Healthcare and Airstrip Technologies announced the new release of a secure mobile app that provides clinicians with access to precise, near real-time cardiac patient information. Data from the GE Healthcare MUSE Cardiology Information System is now available on iPhones and iPads via Airstrip Technologies.
The app enables a continuous flow of electrocardiograph (ECG) data, helping mobile clinicians make more informed care decisions. Typically, remote physicians view ECG data via computer from static scanned images, which easily distort upon zooming. ECGs measure electrical cardiac activities, and when viewed remotely, measurements can be challenging to interpret because changes as small as 0.5 millimeters can indicate the presence of a serious heart condition.
U.S. hospitals can now purchase Airstrip Cardiology through GE healthcare. Remote cardiologists can access Airstrip Data from anywhere providing patients with quick, well-informed decisions. This app could reduce cardiologists’ need to travel to hospitals for access to a computer connected to the hospital network, since they can now use Airstrip Cardiology to precisely measure ECG waveforms. This new app technology is HIPAA compliant and utilizes state-of-the-art security protocols to securely transmit medical information, further enhancing privacy protections.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIOENGINEERING DEPARTMENT AT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
LEARN MORE ABOUT AIRSTRIP CARDIOLOGY
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