A study by the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio has found that TempTraq, a digital wearable thermometer can detect rise in body temperature up to 180 minutes earlier than current standard-of-care (SOC) method. Earlier fever detection is important, especially in cases of children, where doctors can intervene faster.
“This temperature monitoring patch has the potential to improve clinical outcomes for patients undergoing stem cell transplant and intensive chemotherapy for hematological malignancies by identifying neutropenic fever and beginning clinical interventions sooner,” said Dr. Ehsan Malek, MD, UH Seidman Cancer Center.
“We believe TempTraq could be a game-changer when it comes to catching fevers earlier for a variety of patient cases – both inpatient and outpatient.”
Developed by Blue Spark Technologies, TempTraq is a thin, wearable wireless temperature monitor that can be worn like a Band-Aid. The Bluetooth-enabled patch continuously records body temperature every 10 minutes instead of every 4 hours (the current usual care) and sends data to an Apple or Android compatible smartphone.
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“Place it under a child’s arm, and it will take a temperature reading every 10 seconds,” said John Gannon, President and CEO of Blue Spark Technologies.
For their study, the researchers tested the feasibility of monitoring body temperature for 17 patients. All patients were undergoing stem cell transplants and received chemotherapy in high doses. The research team applied the patches every 24 hours. Overall, the team studied analyzed 5,856 continuous hours of body temperature measurements.
The secret behind TempTraq is its paper-thin battery. However, Blue Spark Technologies spent several years before deciding that the batteries should be used in medical devices, according to Gannon. Gannon along with Blue Spark VP of Marketing Matt Ream invented TempTraq.
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In 2015, Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio conducted a study of TempTraq using healthy adult staff members, according to Aris Eliades, director of operations and nursing research at Akron Children’s Hospital.
A second study in 2017 included more than 30 infants with an average age of 6 months. The doctors and nurses found that TempTraq to be accurate and convenient.
“I think it has a place for use in hospitals,” Eliades said.
The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system.
About Blue Spark Technologies
Westlake, OH-based Blue Spark Technologies, Inc. is the industry leader for developing thin, flexible, printed power solutions for printed electronic systems, such as solutions developed using their thin, flexible proprietary battery technology. The company’s latest patented innovation TempTraq is the only Bluetooth, wearable temperature monitoring device that comes in the form of a soft patch. The company’s TempTraq Connect HIPAA-compliant service is supported by Google Healthcare Cloud Platform, which allows caregivers and parents to monitor body temperature from anywhere.
