Catching Heart Attacks on Time

November 26, 2014

A physicist from Israel, Dr. Leon Eisen, has developed the world’s first “watch,” the Oxitone, which can give advanced notice of an impending heart attack. So promising is this technology that Oxitone was picked from 400 applicants to join 12 other companies this year as part of GE Healthcare’s three-year Start-Up Health Academy Entrepreneurship Program.

Eisen has a PhD in physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and a passion for optical lasers. He is originally from Moscow and immigrated to Israel in 1999. What he has developed is a real-time monitoring device for heart patients to be worn at home, at play, at work, even while asleep. Oxitone keeps a “watch” on blood-oxygen levels, on a minute-by-minute basis, using two special optical lasers built into an oximeter that sits on the wrist.

  For people who are suffering from any type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), for instance, making sure they get enough air into the lungs and key organs is key for survival. COPD accompanies a number of health ailments including chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema and it can lead to

a shortness of breath.

People may be aware they are suffering from the symptoms of COPD, but an ensuing weakness due to low oxygen levels may prevent them from getting the help they may need. Instead of relying on the patient to self-report vital signs, the Oxitone does it automatically even before a person might notice something is going wrong.

Connected online and to the cloud, and paired with devices such as smartphones or tablets, Oxitone can send real-time alerts and data to pre-programmed locations. The device is expected to cost about $200, with additional subscription fees depending on the service levels sought.

An additional benefit for healthcare providers is that the device spits out data 24/7—information that can help them monitor a patient’s progress over time. Early-stage clinical trials have been done on the device, and longer-term clinical trials are beginning in Israel and the UK. Oxitone was founded in 2010 and is based in Ashkelon, Israel.

Source: Excerpts of an article by Rivka Borochov, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs