According to the CDC, 70 percent of deaths among Americans are due to a chronic illness. One of the keys to controlling chronic disease is adhering to proper medication dosage and schedules. Yet many patients seem to have difficulty following their doctor’s recommendations. We recently came across a couple of smart, connected medical devices designed to help asthma patients be more compliant and achieve better control over their disease – which may in turn help them lead longer lives.
Asthma is a widespread chronic disease that often strikes in childhood, making it a prime area for smarter treatment solutions that help patients to manage their symptoms. One avenue for such devices is to deliver medication through inhalers. Computer controlled inhalers with embedded intelligence can precisely measure the amount of the drug that gets to the patient. Increasingly, doctors are moving from pills to inhalers as a way to administer drugs, but it can be difficult determining how much actually was inhaled into the lungs. This is the challenge that smart inhalers help to solve.
One such smart inhaler system prototype is being developed by Clement Kleinstreuer, a mechanical engineering professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, in collaboration with a departmental colleague, Dr. Stefan Seelecke.
According to Kleinstreuer, the inhaler system (pictured left) “modulates the patient’s inhalation waveform and then releases a controlled drug-air stream which targets specific lung sites.” This stream could also be targeted at sites like a tumor or some other predetermined lung area, giving the smart device even wider applicability. Kleinstreuer adds that this “optimal targeting methodology” has been successfully tested in both virtual reality and in the lab, and components of a smart inhaler system prototype are now being built and tested.
“Clearly,” he says, “clinical trials will be necessary to convincingly document the amazing capabilities and wide-range applicability of the invention.”
In the long run, medical devices that use embedded intelligence to deliver precise amounts of medication to patients will help not only asthma patients, but also address other chronic and acute diseases that need targeted and specific medications.
Asthma patients can look for more immediate relief from a smart inhaler that is already available in New Zealand. This device comes from Nexus6, Ltd, a New Zealand company. New Zealand has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world so it’s not surprising that they are leading the efforts in this area. According to COO Garth Sutherland, “New Zealand has the second-highest per capital incidence of asthma in the world; over a half a million of the 4 million people have the disease. Fortunately, we have a good public health care system so there is a good chance that asthma will be diagnosed and treated.”
Sutherland started the company in order to help chronic asthma patients better manage their own care. The Nexus6 Smartinhaler device (pictured right) helpspatients adhere to the prescribed amount and frequency of medicine. It connects to the patient’s computer via a docking station and the data is uploaded and sent to their email system. The patient can then print a report to provide to their doctor and health care team. A wireless version, which has a cell phone chip imbedded in the device, is currently in clinical trials. Also in trials is a ringtone reminder that is designed with kids in mind. Preventing asthma attacks is important, and keeping to the prescribed routine is crucial in those prevention efforts. “Kids really like the ring tones and it keep them on a schedule.”
The need for smarter management of asthma treatment is certainly not unique to New Zealand. In the United States, it’s estimated that more than 34 million Americans suffer from asthma. Smart inhalers are one example of how connected health technology can help those with chronic illness get the most benefit from prescription drugs and give them tools to better manage their own care.
P.S. boost your asthma immunity by eating Vitamin C and Vitamin D rich foods and fruits.
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Please visit www.PuffMinder.com to learn more about Pediatric Asthma devices available today.
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