Cinterion and TZ Medical have jointly announced Aera-CT, a lightweight heart arrhythmia monitoring device.
Cinterion makes cellular machine-to-machine communications modules and TZ Medical is a manufacturer of critical-care medical products.
Equipped with the Cinterion MC75i module, the Aera-CT is expected to be commercially available in North America in the autumn followed by rolling launches throughout the world.
The device improves the ability to detect heart arrhythmias rapidly during normal day-to-day activities and over long periods of time. Designed for ease-of-use and comfort, the discreet device is placed on the patient with three electrodes.
“M2M-enabled medical devices are revolutionising the way healthcare is delivered and driving impressive growth in the m-health sector,” said Peter Fowler, Cinterion’s regional president for the Americas. “Together, TZ Medical and Cinterion are developing cutting-edge M2M heart monitoring technology to help reduce hospital stays and healthcare costs, while improving patient care and ensuring patients’ data privacy is protected – it’s a win-win business case with strong and visible social benefits.”
The module enables secure and reliable communications of detailed diagnostic data via cellular networks and the internet, providing patients and their physicians with round-the-clock monitoring and improved detection and visibility of arrhythmia events.
Authorised caregivers can securely view patient data at anytime, from anywhere in the world to determine treatment approaches.
“We rely on Cinterion-Gemalto, with their ten years of m-health experience, for intelligent engineering as well as highly secure and reliable technology to enable Aera-CT’s 24/7 patient support,” said Bob Doerr, TZ Medical project manager. “Today, there are around four million people in the USA alone that need care for recurring arrhythmias and the medical community requires best-in-class technology for detection and monitoring. Aera-CT is poised to play a critical role in addressing that need.”
