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Spiroscout inhaler uses GPS, WiFi to track asthma attacks
Back in 2009, we told you about a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist using GPS to tag asthmatics in an effort to better understand what was triggering their attacks. Two years later, David Van Sickle and his current company, Asthmapolis, are about ready to turn his research into a commercial product dubbed the Spiroscout. The USB-powered inhaler uses GPS as well as WiFI to track patients' inhaler use, which Van Sickle says will yield a fuller, more accurate body of data than the self-recorded logs patients are often asked to keep. The benefit is two-fold, Van Sickle says: physicians can use this data to adjust their patients' medication, if necessary, while epidemiologists might have more insight into population-level trends. As PhysOrg notes, this isn't the first inhaler of its kind (incidentally, that would be Asthmapolis' first-gen product, the SiliconSky GPS), but it may be the most practical one to date in that it doesn't come with a bulky box attached. Spiroscout isn't available just yet -- the company expects it to ship in the fall -- but curious asthmatics can reserve theirs now.
Vena-enabled asthma inhaler adds IR and Bluetooth connectivity, won't sync with your headset
Putting a new twist on inhalers, Cambridge Consultants this week announced a new Vena platform for medical apparatuses. It's comprised of two wireless standards, Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP) and the IR-based IEEE11073, for exchanging data with between devices. The Vena respirator marks the first demo unit and will connect via smartphone or computer to help keep track of when it's being used and can provide reminders for patients who need to scheduled doses. The information can also be sent to relevant doctors and anonymously to health care specialists who like to mine these numbers and find trends. If you're looking to see it for yourself and maybe try to smooze your way into a lungs-on, it'll be at the Respiratory Drug Delivery Europe 2009 conference in Lisbon, Germany later this month. [Via CNET]
Conix One, a new four-cent inhaler that may save the world
No one likes getting injections -- we all wish for those hyposprays from Star Trek, where one little puff takes care of all your medicinal needs, painlessly. Well, we're not quite there yet, but Cambridge Consultants has just announced the Conix One, a new type of inhaler that it claims costs less to manufacture than a single syringe. The company's press release says that its "reverse flow cyclone" provides an "extremely effective deagglomeration process" (just what we've been looking for!), apparently meaning that you can absorb the drug into your lungs faster. If that bird flu does hit, we'll be stocking these faster than you can say "H5N1."
