WORLD / MID-EAST
Israeli firm develops remote app to detect respiratory worsening of COVID-19 patients
Published: Apr 06, 2020 07:30 AM

Israeli medical personnel from the Magen David Adom national emergency service take a swab from a resident in the city of Bnei Brak at their complex designed for COVID-19 testing in the city of Ramat Gan on Tuesday, part of measures imposed by Israeli authorities meant to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Photo: AFP


An Israeli start-up company has developed a system for accurate remote monitoring of the respiratory status of COVID-19 patients in the hospital and at home, the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) said Sunday.

The system was developed by Resmetrix Medical company in view of the increasing need for monitoring and detection of respiratory exacerbation of coronavirus patients.

The system is based on innovative technology to accurately measure patterns and volume of breath using a wearable sensor, a dedicated smartphone application, and a cloud infrastructure to deliver information and alerts to the medical team in real time.

The smartphone app features a unique algorithm for early detection of respiratory aggravation.

According to the IIA, which supports the project, the system will streamline treatments by detecting breathing deterioration of patients in mild condition at home.

It will also enable monitoring of patients in moderate condition in hospitals' quarantined wards to identify early exacerbation.

The system also provides first-of-its-kind clinical information on coronavirus patients' respiratory patterns during exacerbation, enabling the scientific community to examine possible treatments to prevent exacerbation.