Electromed recently launched its SmartVest Connect wireless technology, to be used with the SmartVest SQL, offering built-in cellular connectivity for healthcare teams and patients to quickly access information that allows for more personalized care decisions.
Doctors routinely prescribe SmartVest — which uses high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) therapy — to patients with bronchiectasis and other conditions involving compromised pulmonary function.
HFCWO is a therapeutic approach that produces an alternating flow of air into a vest that rapidly compresses and releases the chest wall, at a variety of selectable frequencies and pressures. This causes an oscillation in airflow within the airways that acts to loosen, thin and propel mucus so that it can be expectorated or suctioned away.
SmartVest Connect lets patients track progress of their treatment plan and includes a real-time score record, as well as easy-to-read goal reports that provide a comprehensive analysis of the patient’s performance.
The wireless technology was designed to provide feedback for patients and encourage them to engage and have an active role in their treatment plan.
Earlier this year, a study published in Respiratory Therapy: The Journal of Pulmonary Technique showed that using SmartVest could reduce healthcare costs for patients with bronchiectasis by as much as $3,045 per year.
The study said SmartVest usage caused hospitalizations to drop by 60 percent, emergency visits by 63 percent and antibiotics use by 58 percent annually. Likewise, hospital-related costs fell by up to $2,790 per patient per year.
Another study suggested that by helping to clear the lungs of excess secretions, SmartVest significantly reduced bronchiectasis-related exacerbations, decreasing the rate of hospitalization, risk of respiratory infections and the need for antibiotics to treat infections. Researchers presented the study’s findings at the World Bronchiectasis Conference, held July 6-8 in Milan, Italy.
“SmartVest Connect is designed to make it easy for healthcare teams and patients to track therapy performance and collaborate in treatment decisions,” Kathleen Skarvan, Electromed’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
“We believe this innovation will strengthen our patient and clinician partnerships, leading to greater therapy adherence and improved quality of life for individuals with compromised pulmonary function,” Skarvan added. “We’re proud to stand by our commitment to ‘making life’s important moments possible’ and continued innovation of delivering market-driven HFCWO therapy solutions. We expect to expand SmartVest Connect availability to targeted adult pulmonary clinics throughout the year.”