Oct 27 2014
Endotronix, Inc., a company developing digital health solutions for people worldwide who suffer from heart failure, has been selected as one of 11 finalist teams in the prestigious Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE, a global competition to develop breakthrough medical sensing technologies that will ultimately enable faster diagnoses and easier personal health monitoring.
Endotronix advances to the final round of judging with teams vying for one of six top spots for a $525,000 Grand Prize and up to five Distinguished Awards, each valued at $120,000. The final phase of the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE includes an online voting campaign accounting for 10% of a team’s overall score, with the remainder evaluated by a judging panel comprised of digital health and medical industry experts. Videos of the finalist teams and their breakthrough technologies can be viewed and voted on beginning October 21 through October 30 at http://www.nokiasensingxchallengevoting.org. The winners will be announced publicly on November 10.
Endotronix creates health solutions that are designed to enhance patients’ quality of life, improve outcomes, and lower costs, especially for the 20 million people worldwide who suffer from heart failure. The company, which holds five patents for its technology, is developing advanced biosensors, mobile health technology, and clinical services into new digital heart failure management paradigms. Heart failure is responsible for one in nine deaths and costs the United States $32 billion each year.
“We are thrilled that XPRIZE has chosen our team to advance in the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE, recognizing the development of our advanced sensor technology and the potential it has to help improve quality of life for heart failure patients,” said Endotronix CEO Harry Rowland, Ph.D. “We believe that by combining biosensors, mobile devices and patient-centric health management services, Endotronix can help create better outcomes for the millions of people suffering from these types of heart conditions. Recent advances in implanted sensors are creating opportunities for innovators to solve an array of complex health problems, so we applaud XPRIZE and Nokia for their foresight and dedication in creating this competition.”
The Endotronix solution includes a tiny, implanted biosensor that measures pulmonary artery pressure and transmits that information to a handheld unit that is held against the patient’s body. The implant is inserted into the pulmonary artery via a minimally invasive, low risk catheterization procedure. Unlike other monitoring solutions for heart failure patients, the small implant doesn’t require batteries, placement of leads, or permanent vessel penetration. The patented technology enables the external device to wirelessly obtain a pressure reading from the implanted sensor using a novel radiofrequency (RF) architecture. The patient captures this reading by holding the device close to their chest once a day for a few seconds. The information generated through the handheld reader is transferred to a secure database for physician review and can also be displayed on a mobile device, making heart failure patients and their family members active players on the connected health team. Daily readings enable the care team to proactively optimize the patient’s personal care plan, maintaining healthy pressures to potentially prevent worsening of heart failure (HF) symptoms.
Source: http://endotronix.com/