Nov 11 2014
Endotronix, Inc., a company developing digital health solutions for people worldwide who suffer from heart failure, has been named one of five Distinguished Award Prize winners in the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE, a global competition to develop breakthrough medical sensing technologies that will ultimately enable faster diagnoses and easier personal health monitoring. Endotronix won $120,000.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by XPRIZE for the development of our advanced sensor technology and the potential it has to help improve quality of life for heart failure patients,” said Endotronix CEO Harry Rowland, Ph.D. “Recent advances in implanted sensors are creating opportunities for innovators to solve an array of complex health problems. We are proud that our work has been acknowledged by an independent panel of judges for its technical innovation and breakthrough ideas.”
Endotronix creates health solutions that are designed to enhance patients’ quality of life, improve outcomes and lower costs, especially for the 20 million people worldwide who suffer from heart failure. The company, which holds five patents for its technology, is developing advanced biosensors, mobile health technology and clinical services into new digital heart failure management paradigms. Heart failure is responsible for one in nine deaths and costs the United States $32 billion each year.
The Endotronix solution includes a tiny, implanted biosensor that measures pulmonary artery pressure and transmits that information to a handheld unit that is held against the patient’s body. The implant is inserted into the pulmonary artery via a minimally invasive, low risk catheterization procedure. Unlike other monitoring solutions for heart failure patients, the small implant doesn’t require batteries, placement of leads or permanent vessel penetration. The patented technology enables the external device to wirelessly obtain a pressure reading from the implanted sensor using a novel radiofrequency (RF) architecture. The patient captures this reading by holding the device close to their chest once a day for a few seconds. The information generated through the handheld reader is transferred to a secure database for physician review and can also be displayed on a mobile device, making heart failure patients and their family members active players on the connected health team. Daily readings enable the care team to proactively optimize the patient’s personal care plan, maintaining healthy pressures to potentially prevent worsening of heart failure (HF) symptoms.
For more information, visit: http://sensing.xprize.org/.