A new device allows healthcare providers in war and disaster zones to monitor the vital signs of up to 20 patients simultaneously. The device helps caregivers care for multiple patients simultaneously and, if necessary, walk away to fetch new medical equipment, for example.
It is the Wireless Vital Signs Monitor (WVSM), a device that can use sensors to monitor patients' vital signs. These include saturation, heart rate, blood pressure and electrical activity of the heart muscle. The device can be monitored at a distance of 200 metres using a PC, tablet or smartphone. The WVSM can be connected to these devices via both wireless and wired connection.
Analysis with algorithms
Data collected using the built-in sensors is analysed using algorithms. Unlike traditional monitoring solutions, this allows the WVSM to provide insights beyond raw medical data. For example, the device can analyse whether a patient is stable or his condition is deteriorating, as well as calculate the need for life-saving interventions, such as surgery or blood transfusion, on a patient-by-patient basis. This makes patient triage easier for healthcare providers in such circumstances.
The WVSM is designed to monitor a patient for an extended period of time, from the moment they are injured to the care centre where the patient is eventually treated. The data the WVSM collects on a patient is automatically stored and can be accessed to gain detailed insight into the course of his medical condition. Caregivers can look back for up to 4.5 hours. The device has a battery life of 7 hours.
Approved by FDA
The WVSM was developed in a collaboration between the US Office of Naval Research (ONR), the US Army Institute of Surgical Research and industry partner Athena GTX. The device was originally developed for use in war zones. "Since this technology can monitor multiple patients simultaneously, medics can treat someone and move on to the patient or even run off to get medical supplies - while at the same time keeping an eye on everyone they care for," explains Dr Timothy Bentley, programme manager in ONR's Warfighter Performance Department. This department of the ONR helped fund the development of WVSM.
WVSM is now also being used in civilian healthcare provision. The device has now been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and may be used in the United States (US) as a result. Some 200 copies of the device are now in use in the US states of Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, Maryland, Missouri and Pennsylvania. In disaster areas, among others, where healthcare providers are faced with a large number of needy patients, the WVSM can be of help. Athena GTX points out that the device can also be used to treat patients with infectious diseases who have been quarantined. If these patients are fitted with a WVSM, the patient can be monitored remotely, while minimising the risk of contamination of medical equipment.
Lightweight
The WVSM weighs less than half a kilo. This low weight offers several advantages. For example, healthcare providers can easily take several WVSMs with them to a war or disaster zone and the disruption caused to patients by the device is minimised. The monitor is part of the Automated Critical Care System (ACCS), also developed with ONR funding. The ACCS can be compared to a mobile intensive care unit incorporated into a suitcase. The system comes with an accompanying stretcher and weighs less than 11 kilograms.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Athena GTX
Source: Office of Naval Research (pictured)
