In this blog, Sky Labs CEO and chairman Jack Lee explains how Sky Labs is supporting patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Sky Labs is helping many patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) monitor and live with their heart condition through the stylish CART smart ring.
Discreet, yet packed with technology, it can continually monitor a patient’s pulse without any user intervention.
This, explained Sky Labs Chief Executive Officer Jack Lee, is particularly important because AF remains relatively difficult to diagnose and symptoms can be intermittent.
As a result, it may not easily be picked up during a routine visit to the doctor’s surgery, whereas round-the-clock monitoring can highlight any possible arrythmias or irregularities.
Signal quality
As CEO, Jack is focusing on data-driven preventive healthcare to help enable people to live longer and healthier lives.
To achieve this, he leads the team responsible for developing the CART (CARdio-Tracker) ring to support diagnosis of AF and heart diseases in daily life.
A key aspect is its ability to communicate a patient’s data direct to their physician.
“It can receive daily patient data at any time and also has good signal quality compared to any other type of wearable device,” he explained.
Along with the signal quality, another important part of the device is the sensor architecture.
Stroke prevention
This combination allows data to be gathered, even when the user is not aware the device is in operation and enhances the doctor-patient relationship with a flow of real-time and relevant data.
“Atrial fibrillation is a critical reason of stroke, so in terms of stroke prevention we need to monitor AF as much as possible,” he added.
People with AF have a five-times higher risk of stroke.
“Normally, outpatient data is really hard to get because there is no device to monitor the patient themselves, so with CART the patient can collect their own data very easily and transfer to the doctor.”
Acquires data
The CART uses a mobile app and is linked to cloud-based technology to monitor patients with conditions such other chronic illnesses, as well as AF.
It creates analysis reports, acquires data to plan therapy, and sends an alert should a patient’s condition change or any abnormalities arise.
As with any wearable monitoring device, it is crucial that it fits properly and is worn correctly to deliver the most effective, appropriate, and accurate levels of data.
To support this, CART is available in eight sizes, offering the best possible fit for people.
This is important because CART - the world’s first ring-type smart wearable heart rhythm monitoring medical device - utilises photoplethysmography (PPG) signals to measure heart rate from screening the bloodstream 24/7 through the wearer’s finger.
Greater sensitivity
The finger is acknowledged as providing greater sensitivity for the sensors, with more accurate and better signal quality, compared to other parts of the body because it has a higher volume of atrial blood flow.
The ring also uses electrocardiogram (ECG) signals to provide additional, and more precise, cardiac information to the user’s doctor, often without user intervention, if necessary.
The CART ring is made of surgical steel, weighs around 4 grams, and is dustproof and waterproof.
It can last up to 48 hours per charge and is proving of particular value in detection of AF because of the continuous monitoring capability.