This device allows doctors to continue monitoring their patients without exposing themselves to the disease. Even with the best measures, COVID-19 remains ultra dangerous for health professionals who fight daily on the front line in contact with patients to help them get rid of this virus. To remedy these too great risks by exposing themselves directly to patients, MIT has developed a solution which could make it possible to monitor a patient’s condition remotely. This week, a Boston-based medical team said MIT provided them with a device to monitor the progress of a COVID-19 patient without contact, remotely. This device
This device allows doctors to continue monitoring their patients without exposing themselves to the disease.
Even with the best measures, COVID-19 remains ultra dangerous for health professionals who fight daily on the front line in contact with patients to help them get rid of this virus. To remedy these too great risks by exposing themselves directly to patients, MIT has developed a solution which could make it possible to monitor a patient’s condition remotely.
This week, a Boston-based medical team said MIT provided them with a device to monitor the progress of a COVID-19 patient without contact, remotely. This device makes it possible to analyze a patient’s breathing, movements and sleep, using wireless signals.
Similar to a Wi-Fi box, this box is capable of analyzing wireless signals in the air and deducing thanks to artificial intelligence if they are vital signals. This Emerald device is currently being tested under real conditions on a patient who has given her authorization. Dr Ipsit Vahia, the doctor in charge of this patient, observes from his home the progress of his patient by focusing on very specific criteria such as breathing and walking speed.
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For example, Emerald allowed Dr. Vahia to know his patient’s precise respiratory rate (which went from 23 to 18 breaths per minute) without any contact. Thanks to this system, the doctor was also able to note that her patient’s quality of sleep had improved and that she was able to walk faster in her apartment when she recovered.
Doctor Vahia explains: “When doctors have to interact directly with patients to perform examinations or monitor vital signs, each step of the journey represents an increased risk of infection. Since Emerald can generate important health data without any contact with patients, it could minimize the risk of doctors and nurses catching their patients’ disease. ”
As Dr. Vahia also points out, this pandemic has shaken up current medicine by pushing researchers and healthcare professionals to surpass themselves to find new solutions that will be reusable in the future, even when the pandemic is over.
