It’s not easy getting congestive heart failure patients to monitor their health. So one startup is determined to make it as simple as sitting on the toilet.
“Even the most well-meaning patients won’t measure their blood pressure every day,” Nicholas Conn, an engineer at the Rochester Institute of Technology and CEO of Heart Health Intelligence, told the Daily Beast.
The technology stems from three main instruments in the toilet seat: an electrocardiogram to measure the heart’s electrical activity; a photoplethysmogram to monitor heart rate; and a ballistocardiogram to determine blood volume. The data is run through algorithms and a patient’s care providers would be notified if their condition worsens.
It only takes about 90 seconds for the “smart” toilet to deliver a full measurement, and it also takes into account that peoples’ heart rate, blood pressure and respiration can change during bowel movements and urination.
Conn said the toilet seat will have a six-year built-in battery and cellular connection technology for easy use. Conn estimates the seat would cost about $100 per month, including all monitoring. The company is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval with a target shelf date of late 2021 or early 2022.
