SpiroSmart is a mobile phone based platform that allows for the analysis of common lung function measures (FEV1, FVC, PEF). By analyzing lip reverberation, it is capable of monitoring pulmonary ailments such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis.
From the manufacture's YouTube channel: SpiroSmart is a low-cost smartphone based system that performs "spirometry sensing" using the built-in iPhone microphone. It allows patients to keep track of their pulmonary "impairments" without going to the clinic. SpiroSmart can be effectively used by pulmonologists to diagnose varying degrees of obstructive lung ailments.
Home spirometry is gaining acceptance in the medical community because of its ability to detect pulmonary exacerbations and improve outcomes of chronic lung ailments. However, cost and usability are significant barriers to its widespread adoption. SpiroSmart is a low-cost mobile phone application that performs spirometry sensing using the built-in microphone. SpiroSmart was evaluated in 52 subjects, showing that the mean error when compared to a clinical spirometer is 5.1% for common measures of lung function.
To increase compliance, the target monitoring platform is the mobile phone, a sufficiently small device that is always with the patient. Additionally, the researchers are investigating methods to make the lung testing procedure part of a simple, yet engaging, game on the phone.
References:
Computing Lab - University of Washington http://bit.ly/Qtk8GY
See how healthy your lungs are -- just blow into your phone | Cutting Edge - CNET News http://cnet.co/Q8ucBP
Spirometry: There's an App for That, Too http://bit.ly/S6Yj2r
I am assuming the consumer must purchase a specialized smart phone to make this happen? Or are there specific smarts phones that somehow adapt?
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