A new device is about to hit the market, and this time for something more sophisticated than measuring heart rate, it is capable of measuring the lung function of the person wearing it.
It is the new invention of Respira Labs, a gadget called Sylvee that can be very useful for those who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma, although it could also be applied to patients with COVID-19.
The device sits at the bottom of the rib cage, and it doesn’t need us to blow anywhere. It is like a patch with speakers and microphones that measures changes in acoustic resonance, analyzes changes in the volume of air in the lungs generating low-frequency noise through its speakers and measuring the sound generated with the microphones it carries.
When there are air cavities, the received sound changes, and depending on what is measured, it indicates the lung volume, capacity, flow rate and trapped air, all with 90% accuracy.
They believe that with this device it will be possible to detect problems earlier, which will help treatments to be more effective.
They give vital information to doctors and patients, although at the moment it is a prototype that still requires more tests. They are now conducting a trial of more than 500 patients in various countries, and will publish the results by the end of 2022.
Before reaching the market, it will need FDA approval, which can last about 18 months, and then the export plans will have to be defined, since in the first phase it will only be available in the United States.
More information at respilabs.com
