The device (spirometer), which was developed by Turkish engineers at METU Technopolis with domestic facilities, and which allows performing respiratory function tests at home without the need to go to the hospital, receives high demand from nearly 55 countries.
“The world’s first ultrasonic household spirometer” allows testing at home, at the same standard as the hospital, in chronic lung diseases such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, and even those who survived the coronavirus. Marmara University Training and Research Hospital Pediatric Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Bülent Karadağ said, “The patient had to come to the hospital for the respiratory function test. But most of the time, this was delayed. When they came months later, the picture was already advanced. Now we can monitor the patients remotely.”
HIGH DEMAND FROM 55 COUNTRIES!
With “SpiroHome”, which has already been put into use in nearly 55 countries from Australia to Spain, from different continents of the world, and has won design awards in many countries, especially Germany, patients can perform respiratory function tests such as blood pressure monitors at home, and the test results can be instantly displayed. Many patients, who suffer from asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and even post-Covid respiratory distress and whose number may reach hundreds of thousands, need to go to hospital breathing tests frequently to monitor their lung functions.
TEST CAN BE DONE WHILE SITTING AT HOME
With SpiroHome, developed by Turkish designers and engineers, the patient can perform this test in a few seconds, at the same standard as the hospital, even while sitting in the living room of his own home. Thanks to the mobile application integrated into the device, the results are instantly available to the relevant nurses or physicians online. Thus, it is ensured that even the patient outside the city stays under the control of a doctor without leaving his home. CE approvals have already been received for the domestic spirometer device, and FDA approval for the USA is on the way. Currently, a total of 9 clinical studies are carried out in Australia, Ukraine, England, Spain and Turkey using SpiroHome.
“LIKE LUNG TENSIONER”
Explaining that they developed the device with a 5-year R&D study, InoFab Health Co-Founder Merthan Öztürk stated that digital health technologies are of vital importance in the management of chronic respiratory diseases, and said that the device they developed with domestic means made a lot of noise in the world. Öztürk said, “We have delivered it to 52 countries so far. We have different distributors in 20 countries. These are countries such as Australia, Spain, England and Germany. We aim to grow in the USA and Canada markets from the next year. SpiroHome, chronic respiratory diseases asthma COPD, cystic fibrosis, “It addresses the diagnosis and treatment follow-up processes in chronic respiratory diseases related to post-Kovid. We can think of it as a blood pressure monitor of the lung. The device with Bluetooth feature allows the patient to perform respiratory tests at home (and save them on their mobile phone) by working in integration with the mobile application.” said.
ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT AND MOBILE INTEGRATION TAKES IT TO THE TOP
Stating that their main focus while developing the device was to bring the most sensitive measurement method, “ultrasonic air measurement technique, to the home environment”, Öztürk said that the device made a sound in the world thanks to this feature, and added: “We have made the ultrasonic air measurement technique usable at home. This is also possible with the mobile application. We have presented it in an integrated way so that the mobile application has almost replaced the nurse (who directed the patient during this test at the hospital). It guides the patient step by step to perform the test in the most accurate way. We have become the first company in the world to use the ultrasonic air measurement method in a home type spirometer. Now at home “health will be a normal phase of health systems. We have seen their counterparts in different countries, these devices are included in reimbursement systems. We have already become one of the pioneers of this. In our country, we continue to work on the integration of e-Pulse. Our Ministry of Health next year.” within the framework of the permission of the patients We want to include the est data in the e-Pulse system. We will be one of the leading companies of our country in this regard.”
“WE CAN MANAGE TREATMENT REMOTE”
Marmara University Education and Research Hospital Pediatric Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Bülent Karadağ emphasized that the pulmonary function test is very important in the diagnosis of chronic lung diseases and in the follow-up of the patients, “Our patients had to come to the hospital frequently for pulmonary function tests. But most of them were seriously chronic patients, so the hospital controls were delayed. Maybe months later, when they came to us, “Sometimes, we have to be hospitalized or we have to start more severe treatments. Now, thanks to this device and its integrated application, we can monitor our cystic fibrosis patients from home, call them to the hospital when necessary, and direct their treatment remotely when necessary.”
“NOW THEY COME TO THE HOSPITAL ONLY WHEN NEEDED”
Emphasizing that the patients’ home pulmonary function tests are very valuable for themselves, Prof. Dr. Karadağ said, “By following the respiratory function values of the patients, we get an idea about their condition. We call them to the hospital when necessary. He said that it is possible for us to change their treatment when necessary. Stating that asthma and cystic fibrosis are the leading chronic respiratory diseases that require continuous monitoring in children, Prof. Dr. Karadağ said, “Our cystic fibrosis patients constitute a special group here. We have around 350 followed-up patients in our clinic. There are approximately 3,500 patients across Turkey. They need to be followed very closely. In addition, there are children who develop lung damage, which we call non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, their number is around 30 thousand-5 thousand. In addition, if we add many other chronic lung diseases, primary ciliary dyskinesia, other congenital lung diseases; and when you say adults with COPD, asthma, those who have Kovid or are suspected of Kovid, etc., the pulmonary function test concerns a very large patient group. Especially in the long-term respiratory follow-ups of patients with Kovid, respiratory function tests to be performed at home are very valuable.
“WE WILL COMPARE WITH THE PATIENTS FOLLOWED WITH THE OLD SYSTEM”
Explaining that during the pandemic process, they started a clinical study by including the patients with cystic fibrosis who were followed up in their own centers, especially those who live outside the city and could not come to the hospital. Dr. Karadağ concluded his words as follows: “We have added a control group to these. In other words, we follow the classical, old system, and pulmonary function tests performed by a group of patients when they come to the hospital. We will evaluate the data of this study, it is almost finished. We will compare many values among the patients followed in the system, and we will publish it in an international journal and announce it to the whole world. It is very important that this system is easily accessible and included in the reimbursement system by public institutions, because we see that it is very beneficial for our patients, both financially and humanely. “
“Since REMOTE FOLLOWING STARTED, MY ANXIETY DISORDER IS OVER”
Berna Tezcan, who lives in Tekirdağ and has two sons with cystic fibrosis, explained that being a mother of cystic fibrosis is a very difficult situation and said: “Erberk was diagnosed in 2007. It is a very difficult process, both materially and spiritually. We live in Tekirdağ, we always have one foot in Istanbul. From the beginning to Anchor, then Marmara, then my second son was also diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in the same way. His illness was affecting Erberk’s social life very negatively. For example, we could not even plan a vacation. Because he had to go to the hospital frequently for pulmonary function tests.
Even my anxiety disorder started to improve after I started using SpiroHome. Because even if the results are bad, we can contact nurse Burcu Hanım immediately. An excellent system, it has really made our life much easier. Otherwise, one of my feet was in the hospital all the time. We had to come and go from Tekirdağ to Istanbul once a month, every 15 days, or even once a week. Just like in our hospital environment, we can do the pulmonary function test twice a week (on Sunday and Wednesday) at home. Our results reach our nurse immediately. If something goes wrong, he calls me before I call him. We can change the treatment plans immediately. It was also very good in terms of the pandemic, we were able to stay away from hospital environments for 1 year. ”
(DHA)