Isansys Lifecare launches LifeTouch body-worn wireless cardiac monitor

19 May 2011

UK company Isansys Lifecare Limited has launched the LifeTouch HRV011, a cardiac monitor that adheres to the patient’s body and analyses the ECG signal of the patient's heartbeat in unprecedented detail.

Key physiological parameters, including heart rate, respiration rate and high resolution QRS intervals are calculated and uploaded wirelessly to the secure HL7-compliant database in the Isansys Lifecare Platform.

Resembling a lightweight adhesive bandage strip, the LifeTouch HRV011 is simple to fit, unobtrusively attaches to the body and is comfortable to wear. It continuously measures and digitises the ECG signal at a rate four to five times greater than the standard required for ECG monitors. This offers unprecedented scope for a range of new analytical techniques and algorithms that can run in the HRV011 itself on the advanced ultra-low power integrated microprocessor.

Current functions include heart rate, respiration rate, high-resolution QRS intervals and other heart rate variability parameters that are used, among other things, to derive the respiration rate using Isansys’ multi-parameter LifeBreath algorithm.

Fundamental or derived data (or both) are sent to the web-based database where it can be stored and integrated with other patient information, or forwarded and accessed only by authorized users. Further analysis can be carried out on the data to provide more information about the patient such as indicators of stress and health-warning scores and used to generate alerts or prompts regarding status of the patient.

The LifeTouch HRV011 is built on the Isansys RK001 sensing platform that brings a new level of local intelligence to body worn devices by means of a new, very low power ARM Cortex based microcontroller. The wireless link uses the well-proven ANT ultra-low power wireless protocol. These inherently low power consumption components, together with efficient algorithms provide a continuous working lifetime of up to 100 hours.

The LifeTouch is a semi-disposable hybrid developed with support from Scapa Medical division of Scapa plc, global producers of specialist skin friendly adhesive tape solutions. From the users’ point of view it is a single-use device.

The Isansys service model includes a recycling service that recovers, sterilises and refurbishes the electronic module (including the battery), disposes of and replaces the medical grade laminate materials that form the substrate and enclosure for the electronic module, before re-testing and re-packaging for subsequent re-use.

Scapa’s Medical Business Unit and Specialist Conversion Team are utilising their expertise in skin-friendly solutions and design and prototyping to support Isansys in the early stages of the development of the LifeTouch.

 

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