March 15, 2012By Eric Wicklund, Editor, mHIMSSAn Australian...

March 15, 2012
By Eric Wicklund, Editor, mHIMSS
An Australian company is moving forward with
sensor-based technology that would turn the
smartphone into a device for measuring breathing
problems such as asthma, cardio obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and even obstructive
sleep apnea.
iSonea is parlaying its Acoustic Respiratory
Monitoring (ARM) technology into a number of
devices and software systems that the company
hopes to launch next year in the United States. The
first such device will target those with asthma, a
condition that affects more than 300 million
worldwide and represents about $16 billion in healthcare costs each year in the United States.
“Uncontrolled asthma is a really costly and dangerous thing,” said Michael Thomas, the
company’s CEO.
Originally known as KarmelSonix, the company launched the WheezoMeter personal monitoring
device in Australia, which has one of the highest prevalence rates of asthma in the world. The
company has since rebranded, opened an office in Maryland and commenced trading on the
OTCQX International marketplace in the United States. It also recently announced a partnership
with San Diego-based Qualcomm Life to deploy its technology on Qualcomm’s 2net platform.
According to Thomas and Michael Cheney, the company’s vice president of marketing, the next
generation of the WheezoMeter will include a sensor that plugs into a smartphone’s earphone
jack and allows the user to measure “turbulent sounds” in the lungs. That information is
processed by AsthmaSense analysis software contained in the smartphone and transmitted to a
secure, cloud-based server, from which both the patient and the physician can review the data to
determine disease severity. The software can also trigger alerts in the event of an imminent
asthma attack.
“You can think of this as an asthma security service,” said Thomas. “It allows (asthma sufferers
and their healthcare providers) routine regular monitoring in life settings, throughout the day.”
Thomas and Cheney say the development of newer and more sophisticated mobile healthcare
tools and technology, combined with the explosive growth of the smartphone market, will help
asthma sufferers and others ¬– including those with cystic fibrosis and gastroesophageal reflux
disease – better manage their chronic conditions.
While measuring the “wheeze rate,” Thomas said, the software will also be able to pinpoint the
patient’s location and measure atmospheric conditions such as the pollen count and ozone level –
all factors that can be used by the physician and patient to manage the patient’s health.
“Central to this fundamental shift is the need for more effective and immediate communication
between physicians and patients, to influence behavior and decisions that will shape the
outcomes and management of chronic conditions,” company officials wrote in their FY2012 Half
Year Report (ending Dec. 31, 2011). “In the case of asthma, the goals of improved
communication would be to help patients adhere to medication plans, increasing their awareness
of environmental or activity triggers, remembering to monitor their breathing symptoms
regularly, and participating with their physician in the adjustment of their asthma action plan.”
“Technology pioneers such as iSonea have the potential to replace inefficient and expensive
communication methods with more cost effective and immediate mobile health platforms,
increasing the connectivity between providers and patients – providing real-time relevant
information to both the patient and the physician that can shape decisions that will impact the
outcomes and the cost of treatment decisions,” the report concluded.
Just this week the company was issued a U.S. patent for its cough detector, an ultrasound-based
sensor that fits against a patient’s neck and detects coughs. The sensors detect low-frequency
mechanical vibrations in the tracheal area, measuring and tracking coughing severity and
duration.
To date, more than 15 patents have been issued for the company’s technology.
Thomas said iSonea will market to physicians and other providers but expects more success in
the direct-to-consumer market. He said the first products will target asthma, COPD and
obstructive sleep apnea, which is growing at two to three times the rate of asthma.
‘Better managing leads to more aware patients,” he said.