EarlySense (Waltham, MA) has been making non-invasive, and practically invisible, patient monitors for a few years now. These have allowed clinicians to keep a close eye on patients without having to attach any sensors to their bodies. EarlySense monitors have been warmly received by both the clinical staff and patients, but because the under-the-mattress sensors only worked when the person was in bed, they were truly practical only for bedridden patients. EarlySense is now releasing a new FDA cleared Chair Sensor that gleams the heart rate, respiratory rate, and motion from the patient’s buttocks.

The sensor itself looks like a boxy pillow that is placed on the seat of a chair. A nearby monitor hooked up to the sensor displays and tracks the vitals in real time, passing on the readings to the nursing station. In addition to raising alarms when the heart or breathing rates are abnormal, the technology will also warn clinicians when a patient is trying to get up from the chair, helping make sure that someone is there to assist at a moment’s notice.

Source:EarlySense