Vital Connect has received FDA clearance for use of its HealthPatchMD biosensor for monitoring patients in their homes. The device can be used to monitor patients with chronic conditions, for short-term monitoring after a patient is discharged from a hospital or as part of the follow-up care provided after a non-critical emergency room visit.
In discharge or non-admittance situations, healthcare professionals can prescribe HealthPatchMD as part of a follow-up treatment program. In chronic care situations, the device enables home health care professionals to monitor patients round the clock.
HealthPatchMD can be used to monitor patients with chronic conditions, for short-term monitoring after a patient is discharged from a hospital or as part of the follow-up care provided after a non-critical emergency room visit.Aside from checking vital signs during scheduled visits, health care professionals will now be connected to their patients between visits, with HealthPatchMD sending notifications on changes in patient conditions when physiological data falls outside selected parameters via a smartphone or other device.
Combined with Vital Connect’s proprietary algorithms and HealthPatchMD’s integrated sensors, the solution enables the device to provide clinical-grade measurements of single lead ECG, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, posture including fall detection and severity, and steps. The HealthPatchMD is also the first FDA-cleared medical device that includes a fall detection feature.
“Receiving FDA clearance for HealthPatch MD to be used in home care settings is an important milestone for the future of the healthcare industry,” said Vital Connect CEO Nersi Nazari. “Medical professionals will soon be able to provide unparalleled service to their home care patients because the HealthPatch MD will allow them to know if a patient’s heart rate or respiratory rate, for example, crosses a predetermined threshold and react accordingly… Patients will have confidence that their condition is being monitored by a healthcare professional outside of the healthcare setting.”
The HealthPatch MD weighs only 10 grams and is only 6 mm (0.24″) thick, making it comfortable for patients and less obtrusive than conventional monitoring equipment. The sensor uses Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to a relay or smartphone, and then sends information collected by Wi-Fi to the cloud.