Screening and detection is getting to be more interesting by the day. By having your finger screened, the odds of having a major cardiac event can now be determined, as the report from May states it worked pretty well. The company already has a watch that can be worn as well which is also FDA approved and has ambulatory coverage for Medicare and Medicaid for diagnosing and treating sleep apnea. Perhaps this is a sign of the times with new technology, one may not have to spend a couple nights in a sleep center eventually.
The finger device basically assesses risk by measuring blood flow. It is to be used in a physician’s office so the devices could begin showing up at a cardiologist office near you soon. BD
Results of a Mayo Clinic study show that a simple, noninvasive finger sensor test is “highly predictive” of a major cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke, for people who are considered at low or moderate risk, according to researchers.
The study will be presented Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. EDT at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in Orlando (0917-7).
The noninvasive finger test device, called the EndoPAT by Itamar Medical, measures the health of endothelial cells by measuring blood flow. Endothelial cells line the blood vessels and regulate normal blood flow. Research has shown that if the cells don’t function properly — a condition called endothelial dysfunction — it can set the stage for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and lead to major cardiovascular health problems. Previously, there was no simple test for endothelium function, says Amir Lerman, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and the senior author of the study.
From the website:
Endothelial Function Assessment with Endo-PAT2000
Endo-PAT2000 System is a noninvasive method to evaluate endothelial function.
Endo-PAT2000 adds an important dimension to cardiovascular prevention by enabling physicians to reliably measure endothelial function and identify pathological cases of endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest clinically detectable stage of cardiovascular disease.
Endothelial Function Applications:
- Basic science and clinical research
- Pharmacological protocols - assessment of drug efficacy
- Primary prevention of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) - implementation of clinical protocols for early diagnosis
- Evaluation of treatment protocols
Endo-PAT2000 is an easy to use, office-based device for assessing endothelial function. The PAT signal is recorded using Itamar Medical's, noninvasive, pneumatic, finger bio-sensor. The data recorded is analyzed automatically. Advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms and reports are available within seconds of completing the test.
Endo-PAT2000 – Assessing Endothelial Function
- Noninvasive
- Easy to use
- User independent
- Automatic data analysis
- Supports both clinical and research applications
- Reliable and reproducible results
- FDA cleared and CE marked
It would be interesting to see how the technology in this device differs from the fingertip devices used for pulse oximetry.
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