Harvard’s Wyss Institute Launches Hospital Data App Through Startup

Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering said Wednesday that its bedside data-acquisition software is being marketed by startup MediCollector.

When developing a sleep apnea prevention technology for infants, researchers became aware that the software being used had a much broader potential.

Clinically relevant measurements such as heart rate and blood pressure usually are taken at infrequent intervals, meaning most vital data generated by bedside medical devices is lost and never recorded, says John Osborne, senior staff engineer, Wyss Institute. The new software continuously acquires vital signals and an algorithm analyzes the data to predict apnea episodes.

MediCollector developed the software to make it portable and user-friendly, enabling it to communicate with different patient monitors and devices. — Jason Scott