The research study is aimed at understanding the role of the autonomic nervous system in depression and coronary artery disease
Image: Charles and Peggy Evans Anatomy Building, Emory University School of Medicine. Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Mayer/Wikipedia.
VivaLNK, a US-based healthcare solutions provider, has agreed to provide its medical wearable ECG sensors to Emory University for a study to evaluate autonomic function in predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) and its relationship to depression and long-term outcomes.
The study is based on the Emory researchers’ previous work titled Circadian Autonomic Inflexibility: A Marker of Ischemic Heart Disease, which associates lower heart rate variability (HRV) with subclinical myocardial ischemia.
VivaLNK wearable ECG patch captures and transmits data in real time
VivaLNK said that its medical wearable ECG patch features an electrocardiography sensor and accelerometer to capture and generate multiple physiological data including ECG trace, heart rate, RR-interval, and 3-axis motion.
In addition, the wearable ECG patch, which is about the size of a small bandage weighing 7.5 grams, is designed to be reusable and rechargeable and supports continuous use up to 72 hours.
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health assistant professor of epidemiology Amit Shah said: “VivaLNK’s ECG patch is very small and comfortable to wear, which are important factors for clinical use and long-term ECG monitoring. In addition, the software development kit makes it easy to use the patch for research and product development purposes.”
As part of the study, the device is intended to be used to remotely monitor patients undergoing coronary angiography, to measure autonomic function.
The participants in the study would be monitored using the ECG patch continuously for a 72-hour period in a clinical and ambulatory environment, which offers a more complete picture in a natural setting.
The research study is aimed at understanding the role of the autonomic nervous system in depression and coronary artery disease, and to develop better tools for clinical assessment.
In February 2019, the company launched the IoT-enabled medical wearable sensor platform for continuous patient monitoring.
The platform is capable of capturing human vitals and biometrics and delivers data from patient to edge computing devices for application integration and analysis.
Furthermore, the sensor platform allows IoHT solution partners to capture data streams from patients including heart and respiratory rates, temperature, ECG rhythms, activity and more.