OMRON has announced the launch of WheezeScan, the world’s first clinically validated device to detect the presence of a wheeze in young children.
The new device provides parents, doctors and caregivers the ability to discern if a child is wheezing – subsequently providing the confidence and clarity over next steps that will need to be actioned in line with a child’s treatment plan.
WheezeScan has been intuitively designed for straight forward, accurate detection. Parents simply hold it below their child’s right collarbone for 30 seconds and wait for a “Wheeze” or “No Wheeze” identification. In addition, WheezeScan’s design is sleek and ergonomic, light and portable, allowing parents to have it with them at all times and remove any uncertainty in moments of breathing distress.
The new device provides an objective assessment of the presence of wheezing, removing the guesswork, doubt and indecision enabling parents of children with asthmatic symptoms to confidently follow the doctor’s treatment plan.
Wheezing is a whistling or rattling sound on the breath and is the most common symptom of asthma in children under the age of 5. Despite this, at least 44% of parents struggle to clearly identify wheezing sounds before the onset of an asthma attack [1]. This can be for a number of reasons, including:
- The prospect of a looming asthma attack causes anxiety and hesitation
- Wheezes don’t always sound the same [1]
- Children are too young to articulate what they’re experiencing
According to Lucía Prada, Marketing Director of OMRON Healthcare Europe, “as a mother of two, I know how stressful it is having a sick child, and how powerless this can make you feel when you cannot figure out how to help them. WheezeScan was designed to give parents confidence in the adequate management of their children’s asthmatic condition. As the first step towards our Zero Asthma attacks vision, it brings into concrete action our vision to do everything we can to minimize the impact that asthma has on patients, and particularly children”.
The device’s advanced listening technology was designed to identify sounds in a child’s wheezing that parents may not be able to hear. A diaphragm of micron-width material detects low-volume wheezing. This, combined with an HD quality microphone, a built-in noise cancelling system, and a specialised on-board computer allows the device to provide a clear “wheeze” or “no wheeze” reading. In addition, a protective internal case ensures durability and long-term accuracy.
WheezeScan also pairs with its companion app, AsthmaDiary for mobile devices. The app keeps track of wheeze episodes, enabling parents to log data of potential trigger factors and response to medication, as well as identifying trends. What’s more, parents can then equip doctors with details about the frequency of wheezing episodes, allowing for more tailored development of control plans.
André Van Gils, CEO & President of OMRON Healthcare Europe comments, “Our Going For Zero promise tells us to do everything we can to enable people to get more out of life because they’re not controlled by their condition. With this in mind, we have developed the WheezeScan, which marks a new milestone in our quest to equip people with the best tools to achieve an accurate level of detection and monitoring when it truly counts. As the global leader in respiratory therapy, introducing preventative, highly portable healthcare technology to provide relief right when people need it, is amongst our biggest priorities”.
1) Global Initiative for Asthma. Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention, 2016
