Data Critical gets clearance for wireless telemedicine

Data Critical gets clearance for wireless telemedicine

Wireless telemedicine developer Data Critical of Redmond, WA, has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its RhythmStat XL system, which enables healthcare professionals to receive ECG waveforms on a palmtop computer. The technology should help caregivers respond more quickly to patients who are suffering from cardiac arrhythmias.

Patients using RhythmStat XL can record their ECGs with an event recorder, and send the information directly to physicians over a conventional or cellular phone line. The signal is then converted into a visual display of the patient's ECG on a Psion 3C palmtop computer carried by the physician. RhythmStat XL can store up to 50 minutes of patient ECGs.

Data Critical is also developing other wireless-based telemedicine technologies, including StatView, a pager-sized device designed for nurses that can also display cardiac information like ECG waveforms. Another product designed for physicians, MobileView, is based on a Nokia 9000 Communicator device, which combines cellular phone, data transmission, and personal organizer functions into a small, clamshell-style unit. Physicians using MobileView have access to information such as blood pressure, sinus rhythm, and pulse. StatView is pending FDA clearance.