May 15, 2019

Spire Health announces first of its kind study to identify predictors of COPD exacerbations through 24/7 continuous respiratory remote monitoring

Spire Health, the leader in long-term respiratory remote patient monitoring, announced today that it has launched a research study on COPD exacerbations, with over 100 participants already enrolled. The study is being conducted using Health Tags, Spire Health’s continuous respiratory remote monitoring sensor solution, to assess adherence among COPD patients and identify changes in physiological metrics that occur during and preceding COPD exacerbations.

Spire Health aims to use data from the trial to develop algorithms that are capable of predicting COPD exacerbations and can be implemented as part of COPD remote patient monitoring programs.

“COPD is one of the most expensive chronic conditions, generating healthcare costs of over $30B per year in the United States, largely from hospitalizations,” says Jonathan Palley, CEO of Spire Health. “Being able to predict exacerbations through continuous respiratory monitoring and enable early interventions has the potential to significantly reduce hospitalizations, making a large impact on costs as well as improving the lives of millions of people with COPD.”

Participants for the study are being recruited across the United States into an observational clinical trial. The trial began enrollment in November and is intended to last for 9 months per participant, during which participants wear Health Tags continuously. COPD-related symptoms, changes in COPD medication, and hospitalizations are also reported weekly by participants.

Health Tags are a novel sensor technology that provides detailed, continuous respiratory monitoring in addition to monitoring activity, heart rate, and sleep. Participants receive a pack of 8 Health Tags and adhere them semi-permanently to their existing clothing (the inside waistband of men’s underwear or the wing of a bra). Health Tags are washer/dryer safe and never need charging, so participants can simply wear their clothes each day as they would normally. This novel approach has been shown to create extremely high long-term user adherence.

Early indications from the study have been promising, including excellent compliance among participants, observed changes in breathing patterns prior to exacerbations, and initial steps toward the development of an algorithm capable of accurately predicting hospitalizations. Spire Health plans to provide additional details on the study at the Respiratory Innovation Summit on May 17th in Dallas, Texas and at the American Thoracic Society international conference from May 17th-21st, in Dallas, Texas.

About Spire Health


Spire Health is the leading digital healthcare company for continuous respiratory monitoring and actionable feedback. The Spire Health Tag enables remote patient monitoring with unparalleled adherence and clinical-grade accuracy. Spire Health’s remote patient monitoring approach has the potential to identify and predict health events, enable early interventions, and prevent hospital admissions. Spire is backed by leading medical device investors and has received a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services. For more information visit: www.spirehealth.com


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