"Revolutionizing Respiratory Healthcare: New Technologies to Remove Bottlenecks and Improve Patient Access"

In this blog post, Esther Rodriguez-Villegas, the Co-CEO of Acurable, a company that manufactures medical equipment, delves into the impact of healthcare technology on the sector's operational effectiveness.

Long-term respiratory illnesses, like sleep apnoea, COPD and asthma, impact a large number of individuals worldwide and rank as the second most common cause of death globally. Within this group, if obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) remains untreated, it can impose a substantial financial burden on the US economy amounting to around US$6k per patient annually. This is due to the severe health consequences that arise from neglecting the proper treatment of this condition. These consequences include heart attacks, diabetes, dementia, and an elevated likelihood of road accidents.

Streamlining Healthcare With New Tech

Respiratory ailments such as OSA can be quite challenging to identify and treat. Surprisingly, about 85% of OSA sufferers in Europe and the US are still not recognized as having the condition. The reason behind this lies in the fact that the conventional techniques used for diagnosis are intricate, burdensome, and demand the expertise of a respiratory specialist to manually analyze the gathered information before a conclusion can be reached. As a result, this leads to significant obstacles and a delay in patients receiving the necessary medical intervention. This not only increases the physical health risks they face, but also takes a toll on their mental and emotional well-being, negatively impacting their professional commitments and personal relationships.

Luckily, there is a rise in advanced technology that is addressing the challenges in the healthcare field. Wearable devices are now available, making it more convenient and faster for both patients and healthcare professionals to diagnose and manage medical conditions. For example, individuals with diabetes can now utilize continuous glucose monitoring, which helps them manage their condition more effectively. This technology decreases the need for painful fingerstick tests and allows patients to have more control over their own health. Additionally, new devices facilitate the monitoring of blood pressure at home, eliminating the necessity of visiting a clinic or pharmacy. These innovative advancements aim to lessen discomfort and inconvenience for patients, while simultaneously reducing costs and streamlining processes for healthcare providers.

One of the devices addressing these issues in respiratory healthcare is the AcuPebble device developed by Acurable. This wearable acoustic sensor became the pioneer medical device to receive the CE mark in Europe for its automated detection of obstructive sleep apnea.

The gadget comprises a tiny sensor that can be affixed to the neck using a disposable medical adhesive. Meanwhile, a mobile app provides instructions to the patient on how to independently carry out their sleep study and transmit the data, all in the convenience of their own residence. Once the signals are transmitted, specialized algorithms assess them and promptly send an automated diagnostic report to healthcare professionals for evaluation via a secure online platform. Consequently, the patient is spared the need to travel to a hospital (as the device can be mailed), and valuable clinician hours are saved, allowing more focus on providing the necessary treatment to the patient.

Are there any wearable devices on the market that can diagnose sleep apnea? No, there aren't. While some of these devices claim to provide accurate results, the data they produce is often misleading and has not been properly tested for clinical use. In some cases, the results are very poor but not openly shared with the public. This can cause unnecessary stress for both patients and doctors who rely on this unreliable data. On the other hand, the AcuPebble is a regulated medical device that underwent clinical validation and achieved excellent results, which were published in the British Medical Journal Open.

The NHS has been using the AcuPebble gadget as a proven substitute for the usual testing methods for OSA for the last couple of years. It is scheduled to make its debut in the United States soon after receiving a recent FDA 510(k) clearance. The recently approved version of the device comes with a detailed sleep report and provides a wide range of measurements, including heart rate and signals, activity, snoring, oxygen levels, breathing patterns, and airflow.

Although Acurable initially introduced their first product for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the company has larger goals and is currently developing ways to utilize the device's acoustic sensing intellectual property for other respiratory ailments such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. These conditions require continuous monitoring, and the AcuPebble presents an extraordinary opportunity to accomplish this at a considerably reduced expense and without the necessity of extensive human labor.

Supporting Healthcare Professionals With New Technologies

As time goes by, the AcuPebble device has the ability to evolve into a "respiratory conditions gauge": a device that individuals can have at their own homes to diagnose, observe, or handle a range of health issues with the equivalent precision as the large machines found in hospitals. This advancement will also alleviate the burden of healthcare professionals in interpreting results and will empower healthcare systems to greatly enhance the treatment of long-lasting conditions.

Healthcare has faced difficulties in recent years due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, causing added strain on already limited resources. However, the emergence of novel technology has alleviated some of the burdens on healthcare professionals and empowered patients to take charge of their own health. This positive impact enables healthcare providers to navigate through these challenges more effectively.

Esther Rodriguez-Villegas, Creator and Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Acurable.