Smartphone-based health-monitoring devices are a quickly growing segment, as evidenced by a novel device that converts a mobile device or laptop into a medical-grade pulse oximeter. The device, which was covered by Qmed's sister publication EE Times,
The brainchild of Vancouver-based LionsGate Technologies, the device has received $2 million in funding from public and private investors in Canada. The developers of the device are specifically targeting a patient based comprised of pregnant women, newborns and children in the developing world.
The device uses software to identify dangerous conditions linked to high blood pressure in pregnant women, including pre-eclampsia, one of the primary causes of maternal mortality. The condition is thought to lead to 500,00 fetus and infant deaths each year. The overwhelming majority of those deaths are in developing nations. In addition, the device can be used to detect pneumonia, which is responsible for the deaths of over one million deaths each year.
To identify such problems, the devices uses a predictive score in tandem with onboard device processing to calculate when blood oxygen levels are overly high or low.
With a projected price point of $40, the device would cost roughly 80% less than traditional high-end pulse oximeters.
The price point is also considerably lower than a iPhone-based oximeter developed by Masimo. Dubbed the iSpO2, the iPhone compatible device has a list price of $150 and is intended for non-medical applications.
The LionsGate startup was a spin-off that drawing on reserach from the University of British Columbia, Child & Family Research Institute, and BC Children's Hospital. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided early funding to the firm.
