Canadian Innovators Modify iPhone to Enable Non-Medical Staff to do Blood-Oxygen Testing

A Canadian research team led by Mark Ansermino and Peter von Dadelszen at the University of British Columbia has designed a device that is capable of measuring a person's blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and heart rate — all from an ordinary iPhone. Currently, diagnostic tools needed to obtain these types of measurements are found mainly in hospitals and operated by specialized medical personnel. The new device, on the other hand, called the “phone oximeter”, requires very little other than an iPhone and is simple enough for anyone to use. The phone oximeter employs a traditional pulse oximetry sensor which is attached to the patient’s finger. The sensor uses light-waves and their different absorption properties to obtain the measurements. The researchers have developed technology for the sensor that allows it to interface with an iPhone. The software for the device is also compatible with other mobile operating systems such as Android phones. The researchers hope that the innovation will help save thousands of lives in Africa from preeclampsia, a condition that arises during pregnancy and claims the lives of 76,000 women every year worldwide. Low blood oxygen level has been identified as a predictor of adverse maternal outcomes in women with the condition. The condition is especially prevalent in lower income countries, countries which often lack wide and quick access to diagnostic equipment. The phone oximeter would give communities in these areas access to technology that can assess the condition quickly and, in many cases, in the woman’s own home. On July 28 2011, Ansermino and von Dadelszen were among 19 of 600 applicants of a global challenge to receive a $250,000 grant to continue with their research. Follow this link to the official phone oximeter web site: http://www.phoneoximeter.org/ Summary by: Thomas Wong