Advantech’s MIT-W101, a 10-inch medical-grade certified Windows tablet PC, is designed for a hospital setting. With IEC/EN 60601-1 certification, the unit can be used in the most critical environments, such as operating rooms, intensive care units, and emergency rooms.
Infection control is also one of the important elements for hospitals. With that in mind, Advantech’s MIT-W101 is also certified with an IP-65 rating for ease of cleaning, and the housing is covered with antimicrobial coating to reduce the risk of the spread of contagious diseases. The tablet also has MIL-STD 810G certification for 120-cm drop protection to ensure reliable operation.
MIT-W101 is powered by Intel’s high-performance Celeron N2930 processor, which features significant performance and energy-efficiency improvements compared to previous Intel Atom CPUs. To make sure MIT-W101 can connect different applications in the hospital, optional modules like barcode scanner and smart card reader are available. Other accessories, like a docking station, VESA dock, and extended battery, allow MIT-W101 to have its usage applications expanded to fit the versatile needs of any healthcare setting.
www.advantech.com
Those with severe allergies know the importance of keeping an EpiPen nearby in case of emergency. However, despite the life-saving role epinephrine plays in combating anaphylaxis, it’s inevitable that allergy sufferers will leave home without their injection. For parents, the thought of their kid not having the life-saving medication they need in case of emergency is nerve-wracking.
The Veta Smart Case and App from Aterica aims to solve this issue. The user simply keeps their epinephrine injection in the Smart Case – which earns its name due to its equipped features, including a GPS locator. When connected to its associated app, the user will be notified on their smartphone if the case is too far out of reach. For parents, this alert can be sent to their smartphone in the event a child has left their EpiPen behind or misplaced it.
Other features allow for easy location of a lost case, including a flashing light and audible ping to help those with (or without) disabilities locate the injection in a pinch. Further, the Smart Case tracks the temperate and expiration date of the drug, assuring that the epinephrine will be safe and effective if and when the time to use it arises. www.aterica.com
The Dell Medical Review 24 Monitor (MR2416) is the company’s first unit purpose-built for the healthcare environment. Each monitor features anti-reflective edge-to-edge covered glass on the front and a smooth, fully sealed design that is IP-32 rated. In addition, because of its antimicrobial housing, the monitor can withstand cleaning agents of up to 75 percent concentrated ethyl alcohol solution – making it easy to clean, adhering to all state regulations for disinfection and reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections.
The monitor is calibrated to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) part 14 standard grayscale, allowing healthcare professionals to review consistent images at the point of care.
Intelligent backlight stabilization control ensures DICOM calibration is maintained throughout the monitor’s lifecycle. This monitor also features 24 inches of diagonal viewing area with 1920 x 1200 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio), providing compatibility with most image-enabled EHRs/EMRs. Healthcare professionals can switch the monitor’s orientation between landscape and portrait; adjust the height; and tilt, pivot, or swivel the screen for easy viewing. www.dell.com
Today’s hospitalized patients present with increasingly complex problems – even those in general care areas. Despite the rising complexity and evident risk associated with any acute care hospital admission, vital sign practices have not changed, and the use of intermittent vital sign checks every four to eight hours remains the norm in most institutions. This approach is not evidence based, has not kept pace with the rising acuity of general ward patients or advances in continuous monitoring technology, and thus makes it difficult for nurses to identify signs of deterioration in a timely manner.
ViSi Mobile was created to bridge the gap between intermittent spot-check monitoring and ICU-level monitoring. ViSi Mobile provides continuous surveillance of the five key vital signs to reduce adverse events through early detection of deterioration. Built with proprietary technology and designed with patient comfort in mind, the wearable mobile device provides freedom of movement by wirelessly transmitting vitals directly to the care team’s mobile devices, workstations, or central station. ViSi Mobile is always working in the background, collecting and measuring vital parameters to provide nurses the information they need to make faster, more informed decisions. The system communicates wirelessly for full integration with the hospital’s EHR. ViSi Mobile’s alarm system provides a powerful approach to managing patient alarms, reducing alarm fatigue. www.visimobile.com
MOCAheart is a consumer health device aiming to simplify heart monitoring efforts through your thumbs, eliminating the need for bulky cuffs or large, complicated machines that take up space.
The first product from MOCACARE, MOCAheart monitors cardiovascular health through your fingertips, measuring bloodflow velocity – an indicator of blood pressure. Using a press-and-go technique, the device’s sophisticated algorithms use those measurements to determine heart rate and blood oxygen levels while giving an easy-to-understand indicator of your cardiovascular health called the MOCA INDEX.
Issues associated with heart disease kill one American citizen every 60 seconds; however, many are unaware of their condition. If left untreated, hypertension increases the risk of heart disease and stroke – and often high blood pressure manifests with no noticeable symptoms. Through the connected MOCAheart app, the MOCA INDEX illustrates an instant snapshot of heart health in a simple 1-to-5 scale. These results keep the user updated on their health status, and can be easily shared with healthcare providers.
MOCAheart is best suited for adults ages 35 to 65 who want to be proactive about their health or already suffer from a medical condition and want to regularly track their health. www.mocacare.com
Last October, at the annual Health 2.0 event in Silicon Valley, a doctor went on stage to examine a patient – except the patient was 500 miles away. Like a scene out of Star Trek, the onscreen patient pulled out a handheld device and, per the doctor’s instructions, underwent a focused physical exam, complete with vitals. The demonstration took only a few moments, but it earned the MedWand Health 2.0s Launch! award for innovation.
The wireless MedWand, held by the patient, is operated by a remotely located provider during telemedicine visits. A high-definition video camera permits providers to look into the ear, nose, and throat with magnified eye and skin exams. A digital stethoscope allows for auscultation of heart, lungs, and abdomen with an “audio focus” feature to amplify sounds. MedWand also measures heart and respiratory rates, pulse oximetry, distal and core temperatures, and can conduct an EKG. More features are being planned in future models.
Company officials say the MedWand will retail for $250 and begin shipping once it receives FDA clearance, expected sometime in 2016. The U.S.-based company has already announced numerous deals with telemedicine companies, hospitals, insurance carriers, and Silicon Valley tech partners. www.medwand.com
Those who suffer from motion sickness know how debilitating it can be, causing symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. While some will find relief from medications, there is now another option in the form of a wrist-watch-like wearable that provides relief for motion-sickness-induced nausea without the use of pills.
The ReliefBand uses proprietary neuromodulation technology to regulate the body’s natural neural pathways. A pulse is sent from the device into the median nerve on the wrist, which then travels through the central nervous system to “reset” nausea symptoms, effectively destroying motion sickness as it happens.
Conductivity gel is placed on the wrist underneath the ReliefBand, and the painless jolt is administered via a battery. For a long domestic flight, a couple dabs will do you for the entire trip. If the batteries die, they can be easily replaced with inexpensive disposables that can be purchased at any store.
Seafarers, high flyers, and those whose stomach can’t handle reading in the car will benefit from neuromodulation, but the ReliefBand will also help pregnant women cope with morning sickness and general nausea, particularly when used in conjunction with changes in diet.
The ReliefBand has been used by doctors and their patients with successful results. It costs around $90 and can be purchased without a prescription. www.reliefband.com
MEDICA announces app competition winners
MEDICA 2015 hosted its 4th annual live MEDICA app competition for the best medical app for use in the daily routine of a doctor or in the hospital. A panel of judges reviewed three-minute pitch presentations from 10 finalists who were selected from 70 applications. The competition was part of the MEDICA Connected Healthcare Forum in Dusseldorf, Germany.
App developers from all over the world were encouraged to submit their medical app. The pitches included information on why the developer felt there was a need for the app solution, who would benefit, costs, and ongoing business plan feasibility.
Compliance with the Medical Device Directive or FDA approval was not necessary, but many of the app developers were moving forward with approval applications. The top three apps were:
1st place – Talkitt
Talkitt aims to revolutionize the way people with various motor, speech, and language disabilities communicate using their own voice. The app translates users’ pronunciation into understandable speech and plays back their words on a smartphone or tablet.
Danny Weissberg, Co-Founder and CEO, Voiceitt, said he began developing Talkitt after his grandmother had a stroke and experienced difficulty communicating. For people with other conditions such as ALS, cerebral palsy, brain damage, autism, and Parkinson’s disease, this app could make everyday tasks more manageable.
The software is currently being tested with several partners – including hospitals and universities – and works with any language. It can even translate between languages. Once it’s widely available, there will be a monthly subscription fee of $19.99. www.voiceitt.com
2nd place – SmokeWatchers
This app is a complete tool to monitor smoking addiction and kick the habit through real-time support and connected devices. www.smoke-watchers.com
3rd place – MobileODT
The CervDx powers MobileODT’s Enhanced Visual Assessment (EVA) System, used by trained healthcare professionals to conduct smarter visual cervical cancer screenings. The company has developed a device called the Mobile Colposcope which uses digital and regular magnification spectrums to detect suspect lesions or tumors in a patient. The device, which resembles a point-of-sale scanner, is attached to a mobile phone held 15 centimeters away from the patient’s body.
Images from the scan are then relayed to a special mobile app for interpretation. www.mobileodt.com
