The CoVa™ Monitoring System 2 (CoVa™ 2)
CoVa™ 2 is a low-cost, easy-to-use monitoring system featuring three primary components: Necklace (a body-worn sensor), Gateway, and Web-based System. The Necklace measures vital signs, complex hemodynamic parameters, and time-dependent physiological waveforms. It sends this information to several different Gateways, which receive and forward it to a Web-based System for clinical review.
FDA-cleared Measurements
Stroke Volume
Cardiac Output
Chest Fluids
Single-Lead ECG
Heart Rate
Heart Rate Variability
Respiration
Necklace
The Necklace drapes around a patient’s neck and attaches to their chest with two disposable electrodes. Small magnets attach electrodes to the Necklace for ease of use. The Necklace measures ECG and impedance waveforms, and from these and other signals calculates heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration rate, skin temperature, thoracic impedance (a proxy for fluids), stroke volume and cardiac output. Measurements take less than 5 minutes, after which the Necklace sends information via Bluetooth® to the Gateway.
Gateway
The Gateway receives Necklace-generated information, and forwards it to the Web-based System via WiFi or cellular systems. Current Gateways include Android-based tablets or smart phones featuring touch-panel displays, or a ‘black-box’ device that does not require any user interaction.
Web-based System
The Web-based System receives and displays information from the Gateway, and seamlessly forwards it to external customer systems, electronic medical records, or remote monitoring portals. In this way, the Web-based System supports a variety of monitoring experiences.
Applications
Remote Patient Monitoring
CoVa™ 2 makes at-home monitoring of cardiopulmonary parameters for heart failure (HF) patients as simple as glucose monitoring for diabetics. Current solutions for this patient population are relegated to technologies such as weight scales, which are insensitive to physiological parameters and unable to characterize early onset of HF. Weight is a late indicator of a potential heart failure event; in contrast, measurements of fluid level, stroke volume, and cardiac output are relatively early indicators. CoVa™ 2 avails physiological information to physicians, caregivers, and loved ones.
Post-Discharge Monitoring
CoVa™ 2 can monitor patients during the transition from hospital to home. This allows clinicians to discharge patients from the hospital earlier with additional clinical oversight, and remotely check-in on high-risk patients to identify decompensation.
Clinic Monitoring
CoVa™ 2 can monitor patients during their visit to a medical clinic. In this application, clinical professionals can quickly diagnose, triage, and develop treatment plans for patients, even while they are in the waiting room.