Handheld Wireless Home Spirometer Could Transform CF Monitoring, Pilot Study Suggests
Air Next, a small, simple-to-use handheld spirometer, could transform cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment, allowing patients to monitor their own lung function at home and share the results remotely with their healthcare team.
Air Next connects via Bluetooth to a user-friendly smartphone app called Aria. Both Air Next spirometer and the Aria app were develop by NuvoAir, a Swedish digital health company.
This new approach to CF monitoring is the result of a pioneering partnership between Sweden-based NuvoAir and London’s Royal Brompton Hospital, which houses one of Europe’s largest CF centers.
Encouraging results were recently obtained from a pilot study testing the device and app in CF patients.
“The NuvoAir pilot study at the Royal Brompton has demonstrated that self-testing of lung function has many advantages and is only the start of an innovative way of caring for those with a chronic lung condition,” Helen Parrott, associate director of rehabilitation and therapies at the Royal Brompton Hospital, said in a press release.
The Air Next handheld spirometer measures the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1; the volume of air one can exhale in one second after a deep breath) and the forced vital capacity (FVC) of the lungs. It is a small device, weighing 75 grams, and powered by alkaline batteries. The device is being sold directly by NuvoAir for €199 (about $227). The Aria app can be downloaded for free via the Apple Store or Google play store.
“We have built our technology with the patient fully in mind, in everything from the physical design to the app experience. What we have learnt and the feedback from the Royal Brompton has been amazing for our understanding of the needs and everyday life of CF patients,” Lorenzo Consoli, CEO of NuvoAir, said in a NuvoAir blog post.
“We are very pleased with the outcome so far and we’re truly delighted to be able to support these patients with a comfortable solution for home care which allows them to focus on life ahead, and not the next hospital visit,” Consoli added.
According to the team, this approach could promote conversations about the data over the phone or the internet with healthcare providers instead of bringing patients to the clinic so often.
“By being able to test their lung function at home, people with CF can monitor the health of their lungs more effectively and potentially more frequently, which could flag up improvements or deterioration sooner than the next clinic visit,” Parrott said.
For more information on the use of NuvoAir’s system, watch the following video.
