iHealth's not yet FDA-cleared wearable ECG device
Mountain View, California-based iHealth Lab, a subsidiary of Chinese medical device company Andon Health, showed off three new smartphone-enabled, wearable health devices at CES in Las Vegas this week: a blood pressure monitoring vest, an ambulatory ECG device that sticks to the wearer's bare chest, and a wristworn pulse oximeter device.
None of the devices have FDA clearance yet and no pricing details have been disclosed yet either. If FDA clearances are secured on time, the company expects the three devices to ship in the second half of 2014. The company said that the FDA clearances are in process now.
Wearable BP Monitor: iHealth's original product was its smartphone-enabled blood pressure cuff and dock which first launched in early 2011. The company's blood pressure devices have taken a few different form factors since but the latest one is certainly a departure. This ambulatory blood pressure monitor from iHealth is worn inside a vest that provides 24-hour monitoring of blood pressure without changing the wearer's normal routine. The company says the device can take recordings every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, every hour, or every two hours. This type of all-day and all-night measurement is helpful in better understanding nocturnal hypertension, "white-coat" hypertension, or resistant hypertension, which is when medications don't seem to work, according to the company. The device can store 200 readings but connects to Android and iOS devices via Bluetooth.
iHealth's not yet FDA-cleared Wearable Blood Pressure Vest
Continuous heart monitor: iHealth also offered up a new wireless ambulatory ECG device that sticks to the user's chest thanks to a disposable, adhesive patch and can be worn under clothing. The device will be used for detecting arrhythmia or abnormal heart rate or rhythm. This one uses Bluetooth 4.0 BLE, according to the company, to transfer data to an iOS device. No word on Android compatibility but it looks to be an iOS and PC-only device as of now. It can store 72 hours of data, iHealth says. Adam Lin, iHealth's president, told MobiHealthNews in an email that the device will launch with an app that loops the provider into the data.
Wristworn pulseox: Finally, iHealth unveiled a pulse oximeter device that continuously monitors blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate via a fingertip sensor that connects to a wristband, which has it's own dedicated screen. The company says these kinds of devices are often used to detect obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It also has Bluetooth 4.0 BLE and works with iOS and some Android devices. It stores about 1,000 hours of data, according to iHealth.
iHealth plans to integrate the data from these new personal health devices with free companion smartphone apps just like it does with its other devices.
