Summary:

Samay, a US start-up based in the San Francisco Bay area, has released clinical data demonstrating the effectiveness of its Sylvee wearable device in accurately diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicting potentially fatal exacerbations in advance.

The company revealed that the AI-assisted device achieved an 83% accuracy in detecting «air trapping,» an early indicator of COPD exacerbations, compared to hospital-based pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Additionally, the device diagnosed COPD with 90% accuracy and identified significant associations in medication efficacy during pre- and post-bronchodilation PFTs.

The Sylvee device, worn on the chest around the clock, uses speakers and microphones to project sound into the lungs and listen for acoustic resonance signals, offering a non-invasive approach to monitoring and diagnosing lung conditions.

COPD, the third leading cause of death globally, affects an estimated 12.5 million people in the US, leading to 150,000 deaths annually. Samay’s CEO, Dr. Maria Artunduaga, emphasizes the company’s vision to enable early intervention and close monitoring of COPD exacerbations, potentially reducing hospitalizations and healthcare costs. The Sylvee device is named after Dr. Artunduaga’s grandmother, Sylvia, who passed away due to complications from an undetected COPD exacerbation. Ruth Tal-Singer, a member of Samay’s scientific advisory board and former CEO of the COPD Foundation, applauds the non-invasive approach, stating that it offers a significant opportunity to detect and report early changes in air trapping, facilitating prompt treatment and preventing severe outcomes such as hospitalization.

Article written by Phil Taylor

02/11/2023

Source:

Pharmaphorum

https://pharmaphorum.com/news/samays-ai-enabled-wearable-can-diagnose-copd