wearables Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Best Buy spends $400M on Current Health and its digital health tech

Current Health’s platform includes an FDA-cleared wearable vital signs monitor, as well as a home hub. [Image courtesy of Current Health]Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) recently confirmed that it spent $400 million to acquire Current Health as it continues to offer more digital health products.

Current Health (Boston and Edinburgh, Scotland) is the creator of a remote patient monitoring platform that allows physicians to monitor and connect with patients in their homes. Its platform includes an FDA-cleared wearable vital signs monitor, as well as a home hub. The hub can integrate into hundreds of other monitoring devices as well as a person’s electronic health record.

“With their remote monitoring platform, combined with the scale, expertise, and connection to the home that Best Buy has, we will be able to create a holistic care ecosystem that shows up for customers across all their healthcare needs,” Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said during a November 23…

3 pitfalls to avoid when choosing fasteners for wearables

[Photo courtesy of YKK]

Though they’re a small component, fasteners play a critical role in device performance.

Keith Glaser, YKK (U.S.A.)

Medical wearables technology — devices worn on the body or clothing that diagnose, treat or alleviate disease, or help mitigate injuries — has advanced significantly in recent years. While many people think of fitness trackers and health watches, this booming market also includes items like orthopedic braces, wearable injectors and compression garments.

Fasteners play a critical role in product performance, even though they are a small component of the overall device. They are probably the most frequently touched part of the product, used to attach it to the body or make it tighter or looser based on user need.

Let’s explore three key pitfalls to avoid when choosing fasteners that can result in underperforming wearables, wasted time and money and missed opp…

RhythMedix launches wearable cardiac monitor with cellular connectivity

Image from RhythMedix

RhythMedix announced today that it launched its next-generation RhythmStar wearable device with 4G cellular connectivity.

Mount Laurel, N.J.-based RhythMedix’s next-generation RhythmStar with built-in connectivity is discreetly worn for extended remote monitoring without the need for an additional phone or communication device, according to a news release.

RhythmStar is designed to enable rapid electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis and the reporting of cardiac abnormalities by U.S.-based, certified technicians, who alert physicians if/when a concern is detected. Additionally, RhythmStar is now available with HeartTime, an on-demand telemetry mode allowing physicians to evaluate cardiac activity and expedite care through a telemedicine appointment.

With built-in 4G cellular technology, the one-piece device is touted by RhythMedix as the first wearable, multi-modality cardiac monitor that connects patients and clinicians for improved…

Remote patient monitoring poised for further growth in clinical trials

Remote patient monitoring technology from Biobeat can detect 14 cardio-pulmonary vital sign measurements. A number of pharma companies and contract research organizations are implementing the technology. Image courtesy of Biobeat.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is among the trends that will have the greatest impact on the pharma sector in 2021, according to the recent report, “The State of the Biopharmaceutical Industry, 2021 Edition,” from GlobalData. After a period of gradual uptake, RPM “witnessed a massive uptake in the life-sciences sector in 2020,” according to the GlobalData report.

The technology offers several advantages. It can help pharmaceutical companies continue making progress with clinical trials during a pandemic. The ability to gather data from patients remotely can also reduce the burden on medical staff while reducing gaps in clinical trial data. “One of the advantages when you have freq…