EarlySense Gains Patent For Respiratory Trending Analysis Designed For Reducing “Never Events”

Article preview from Medtech Insight - April, 2013

In March 2013, EarlySense Ltd. gained a US patent for the respiratory trending analysis portion of its EarlySense System, a touch-free monitoring system that detects a patient’s heart rate, respiration, and movement using a sensor placed under the bed mattress. The company is initially targeting the estimated two million medical surgical beds in US and European hospitals in hopes of improving patient safety and reducing preventable adverse events.

EarlySense Gains Patent For Respiratory Trending Analysis Designed For Reducing “Never Events”

Article preview from Medtech Insight - April, 2013

With the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s mandate to improve health care quality in the US, hospitals are under increasing regulatory and reimbursement pressures to improve patient safety and reduce preventable adverse events (aka “never events”). One company that may be well positioned to help providers in this regard is EarlySense Ltd., based in Waltham, MA. The company’s EarlySense System detects a patient’s heart rate, respiration, and movement using a contact-free sensor that is placed underneath a bed mattress and never touches the patient. According to the company, the EarlySense System is designed to help medical personnel on medical surgical floors proactively respond to early warning signs of clinical deterioration, prevent extended lengths of stay, reduce unplanned ICU transfers, and avoid preventable adverse events such as patient falls and pressure ulcers.

In March 2013, EarlySense was granted a US patent for the respiratory trend analysis component of the system. The patented technology predicts and monitors a clinical episode by sensing a patient’s breathing, determining the breathing pattern, and analyzing any trends longer than one hour. It then compares the trend to the patient’s baseline. In the event of a change in patient status, the system alerts the clinical staff via a bedside monitor, the central nursing station, hallway displays, and directly to their pagers or handheld devices.

EarlySense CEO Avner Halperin says the technology works without touching the patient by detecting the mechanical vibrations generated by the body. “When you breathe, your lungs expand and contract, and when your heart beats, your whole body vibrates in a specific way,” says Halperin. “The sensor under the mattress is able to detect beats of the heart, breathing motions of the chest, and general body motions and accurately measure the respiratory rate and heart rate of the patient.” It also detects changes and alerts clinicians when thresholds are crossed, and the new trending capability allows the device to detect when and if the patient is deteriorating prior to reaching an alarm condition, he explains. In addition, it will alert caregivers when a patient is trying to get out of bed, which can help prevent falls, and it detects when a patient may not be moving enough, and alerts the nursing staff to the potential need to turn the patient so he or she won’t get pressure ulcers. “It’s a comprehensive system that helps physicians and hospitals keep patients much safer,” says Halperin.

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