.KEYWORD activeecg
.FLYINGHEAD PALM IN THE REAL WORLD
.TITLE Makers of ActiveECG cardiac monitor have heart
.OTHER
.SUMMARY On December 10, Palm recognized four of the most innovative Palm OS developers with the first-ever Powered Up Awards. In this article, Contributing Editor Steve Niles spotlights ActiveECG, a Palm OS cardiac monitor named by Palm as the Best Overall application.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
One of the things that makes the Palm OS so great is the ease with which third-party developers can create new applications, extending the use of Palm OS handhelds in amazing directions. Currently, Palm estimates there are some 175,000 developers worldwide creating new Palm OS applications. On December 10, Palm recognized four of the most innovative developers with the first-ever Powered Up Awards.
According to Steve Sakoman, chief technology officer for the Palm OS platform, "The Powered Up Awards recognize originality in the vast Palm OS developer community and honor developers of the best applications." Winner of the Best Enterprise Application award, as well as the Best Overall award was a solution called ActiveECG from Active Corporation at http://www.activecenter.com/products.html.
ActiveECG is a pocket-sized cardiac monitor that connects to a Palm OS handheld, as you can see in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A ActiveECG is a pocket-sized cardiac monitor.
ActiveECG is used to record and display ECG (electrocardiogram, EKG) strips for the purpose of analyzing heart rhythms and performing a quick assessment of a patient’s cardiac health. The ECG strips can be transferred to a Windows compatible PC where a report can be displayed and printed or forwarded to a physician or other medical professional. I recently had an opportunity to speak with Jeffrey Siegel, President of Active Corporation, to learn more about this fascinating product.
.H1 Size matters
Jeffrey and his wife Karen are licensed EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians) who work on the all-volunteer ambulance squad that services their seaside village of Castine, Maine. In this line of work, they began to notice a disturbing trend. Most ambulances are equipped with a cardiac monitor, a large, 19-pound device that must be carried from the vehicle to the victim. As EMT’s already have a lot to carry when attending to an emergency situation, this bulky device would often get left behind. They saw a definite need for a small, lighter, and more practical alternative.
Mobility, clearly, was key, and already being long-time users of Palm handhelds, they set out to design a device that could be easily coupled with this powerful yet portable computer. ActiveECG was the result. ActiveECG weighs a mere 6.7 ounces, meaning it can be easily carried or attached to a patient.
.H1 How it works
ActiveECG includes three software components. The ActiveECG Palm OS application runs on Palm OS version 2.0 or higher. This software displays real-time ECG data and lets you record ECG strips for later review or transfer. The ActiveECG conduit runs on a Windows PC under Palm Desktop Software version 3.0 including HotSync Manager version 3.0. This software transfers previously recorded strips to the PC during a standard HotSync operation. The ActiveECG Viewer application runs on a Windows PC under Windows 95, 98, NT, or Windows 2000. This software allows you to view, annotate, print, and archive strips on a PC.
The ActiveECG leadwires are connected to the patient’s chest, and they feed the data into the ActiveECG device itself. The ActiveECG hardware connects to the HotSync port on the Palm OS handheld, and the data it collects can be viewed on the handheld screen with the ActiveECG Palm OS application. The ActiveECG Monitor screen is shown in Figure B.
.FIG B The heart rate indicator displays the current heart rate.
The heart rate indicator in the middle gives a continuous display of the current heart rate. If you then tap on the Strips tab, you see a list of previously recorded strips for each patient, as shown in Figure C.
.FIG C Patient records can be viewed under the Strips tab.
You can then select a particular record, and the strip can be reviewed right on the Palm handheld itself, as shown in Figure D.
.FIG D Review patient strips right on the Palm handled.
Once strips have been transferred to a Windows PC, the ActiveECG Viewer application can be used to view, annotate, print, and archive them. Strips on a PC can be saved to a file and transferred to another user with the ActiveECG Viewer application. It was very important to the Siegels that, should a patient record his own data, he should be able to email the data to his doctor and have her be able to view it as well. Therefore, all the software is free at the Active Corporation Web site. That way doctors and patients can access the same data without incurring extra cost.
.H1 Healthcare on-the-go
EMS workers (paramedics and EMTs) can carry ActiveECG in their jumpkit or pocket, so it’s always at hand. It can also be used in cramped situations where bulkier ECG devices wouldn’t be practical. However, its use does not extend only to EMTs. The device and software are being adopted for use in personal healthcare, in home healthcare, and even by veterinarians.
.H2 Personnel healthcare
Thanks to ActiveECG’s low cost and ease-of-use, patients are able to monitor themselves at home. Just as a diabetic patient can monitor his or her sugar levels, cardiac patients monitor themselves by recording ECG data and sending it to their physician via fax or email.
.H2 Home healthcare
Many healthcare workers are still making regular housecalls, visiting patients who are unable to make regular trips to the doctor’s office or hospital. When these healthcare workers carry ActiveECG with them, they can routinely monitor patients. That way they can catch problems sooner and save lives.
.H2 Veterinarians
Imagine trying to monitor the cardiac health of, say, a rambunctious dog. With an immobile cardiac monitor, the animal would need to be held down in order not to break the connection. Not only will this be difficult for the veterinarian and upsetting for the animal, it’s sure to increase the dog’s heart rate, skewing the results. With a small, inexpensive ActiveECG monitor, the wires could be attached to the dog, and the device could be attached to the dog’s collar in a pouch. The pooch could then scamper about at will while the monitor does its work.
.H1 FDA approved
Thanks to Karen’s special skill in regulatory affairs ActiveECG is the first Palm OS based medical device to receive FDA 510(k) clearance for clinical diagnostic use. This means it has passed extensive testing as well as a complete review by the US Food and Drug Administration. It also means that Active Corporation maintains quality tracking and documentation for all aspects of the product. ActiveECG has also received a Medical Device License from the Canadian Government and is currently under review by other government medical boards throughout the world.
.H1 Cost-effective
As already mentioned, the ActiveECG software is entirely free at http://www.activecenter.com/products.html. The ActiveECG hardware component costs a mere $500-$600, thousands of dollars less than existing ECG devices. This means that medical professionals and individuals can afford to have a device of their own.
"We chose to develop for the Palm OS because it is the leading handheld platform, and it is widely accepted in the medical field," Jeffrey said after ActiveECG was named Palm’s Powered Up Award winner. "There is an immense user base of medical professionals and individuals who already incorporate Palm Powered devices into their everyday lives and who recognize the incredible potential for new solutions on the platform."
Palm will present the "Best Overall" award at the PalmSource Conference and Expo, which is set for February 5-8, 2002, at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California. For more information about PalmSource, visit http://www.palmsource.com. ActiveECG stands as a great example of how Palm handhelds can be extended into any enterprise space with the help of inventive developers like Jeffrey and Karen Siegel.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on ActiveECG, visit http://www.activecenter.com/products.html.
For more information about the PalmSource Conference and Expo, February 5-8, 2002, at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California, visit http://www.palmsource.com.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
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