OMRON Healthcare, a global leader in innovative medical equipment for health monitoring and therapy, has created the world’s first clinically-validated medical device that accurately detects the presence of wheezing in young children.
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Wheezing is a whistling or rattling sound on the breath and is the most common symptom of asthma in children under the age of 51. Despite this, at least 44% of parents struggle to clearly identify wheezing sounds before the onset of an asthma attack2. This can be for a number of reasons, including:
- The prospect of a looming asthma attack causes anxiety and hesitation
- Wheezes don’t always sound the same
- Children are too young to articulate what they’re experiencing
Research has shown that about 55% of parents do not detect wheezing in the same way as clinicians due to anxiety, doubt and miscommunication.
WheezeScan provides an objective assessment of the presence of wheezing, removing the guesswork, doubt and indecision enabling parents of children with asthmatic symptoms to confidently follow the doctor’s treatment plan, reports OMRON.
WheezeScan has been intuitively designed for straight forward, accurate detection. Parents simply hold it below their child’s right collarbone for 30 seconds and wait for a “Wheeze” or “No Wheeze” identification. In addition, WheezeScan’s design is sleek and ergonomic, light and portable, allowing parents to have it with them at all times and remove any uncertainty in moments of breathing distress.
OMRON Healthcare’s WheezeScan advanced listening technology was designed to identify sounds in a child’s wheezing that parents may not be able to hear. A diaphragm of micron-width material detects low-volume wheezing. This, combined with an HD quality microphone, a built-in noise-canceling system, and a specialized on-board computer allows the device to provide a clear “wheeze” or “no wheeze” reading. In addition, a protective internal case ensures durability and long-term accuracy.
The companion app, AsthmaDiary, keeps track of wheeze episodes, enabling parents to log data of potential trigger factors and response to medication, as well as identifying trends.
WheezeScan has already obtained European CE Mark and will be available online in the UK and Germany for GBP 149.99 and EUR 169.99, respectively.
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According to Lucía Prada, Marketing Director of OMRON Healthcare Europe, “as a mother of two, I know how stressful it is having a sick child, and how powerless this can make you feel when you cannot figure out how to help them. WheezeScan was designed to give parents confidence in the adequate management of their children’s asthmatic condition. As the first step towards our Zero Asthma attacks vision, it brings into concrete action our vision to do everything we can to minimize the impact that asthma has on patients, and particularly children”.
