Medical Smartwatch Continuously Monitors Oxygenation

A smartwatch under development is intended to meet the vital requirement of continuously monitoring blood oxygenation (SpO2) levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the home setting.

The BuddyWOTCH solution is a wrist-worn device that provides continuous monitoring and alerting capabilities using incorporated medical sensors that capture Walking, Oxygenation, Temperature, Chronicle (image capture of medication, food, and liquids) and Heartrate (WOTCH). The biometric data are transmitted automatically from the wearer to secure cloud-based servers via cellular and wireless networks, as part of a strategy to simplify self-monitoring for people of all ages and capabilities.

The vital signs generated by the BuddyWOTCH will also be combined with data from a priority patented sputum test, which can predict the onset of lung exacerbations in people with long-term respiratory conditions who are chronically infected with the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, so that they may obtain medical interventions earlier, thereby reducing the at times devastating effects of repeated exacerbations. The BuddyWOTCH and sputum test are products of Aseptika (Hartford, United Kingdom).

“Our BuddyWOTCH will become an integrated monitoring and alerting system, wearable for the “rest-of-life” by the most vulnerable patients with respiratory disease,” said Kevin Auton, PhD, co-founder and managing director of Aseptika. “Combining sensors to monitor fundamental vital signs of COPD patients will enable patients and their carers to learn from their data and to better self-manage this long-term condition.”

In COPD, as in other respiratory diseases, exercise can improve cardiovascular function, body composition, and insulin sensitivity, while reducing blood pressure and inflammation. Active COPD patients have a higher forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) scores and a slower decline in lung function, and so added motivation to be more active, an integral part of the BuddyWOTCH solution, will help improve health outcomes.

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