HealthyU's 7 lead ECG makes it easier to monitor patients remotely
This tiny electrocardiogram can send your temperature, blood oxygen levels and more directly to your medical provider.
HD medical is hoping to bridge the gap between your home and the doctor's office with HealthyU, a little device that measures your vital signs remotely and feeds them directly to your medical provider.
Telemedicine has become a necessity during the global pandemic as more and more patients are taking consultations over the phone to avoid stepping foot in a clinic. But there's still a lot that can't be measured remotely.
That's where HealthyU comes in. It's got a seven-lead electrocardiogram (also known as ECG or EKG) and measures blood oxygen levels, body temperature, breathing rate and blood pressure. In other words, it can measure everything you'd normally get checked out in a doctor's visit.
To use it, you place the device against your chest with two fingers on the electrodes on the front. In addition to the electrodes, it has a temperature sensor and an optical sensor.
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While it's not at the level of a 12-lead ECG that you'd get at a hospital, the seven-lead ECG on the HealthyU paints a broader picture of what's going in the heart than, say, a smartwatch with similar features. By comparison, the Apple Watch or Fitbit Sense have only one lead. It can also be placed at different points on the chest to collectively deliver a 12-lead ECG.
Once you've got your measurements, the device can pair with your phone or computer and send this information to your doctor for interpretation. HealthyU can serve as a screening tool to determine whether or not your issue requires an in-person visit.
The company plans to roll out the device to both health providers and the general public later this year, pending FDA clearance.