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Under evaluation with potential for adoption
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Vitacam

By Moyeen Ahmad, Vitacam Ltd Added 22nd Nov, 2021 Updated 6th Dec, 2021

Vitacam is a CE marked, software-based medical device that uses webcams and smartphone cameras to measure a patient's pulse and respiratory rate from video. By tracking chest movements and minute colour changes in the face caused by pulsatile blood flow, the system provides a contactless method of gathering observations. It’s especially useful to detect early signs of deterioration in elderly care settings. Respiratory rate in is often unmeasured due to a lack of time, training or resources.

The roadmap includes more vital parameters to get a more complete set of observations.

About

Vitacam processes the sequence of video frames of a patient to obtain vital signs measurements (currently respiratory rate and heart rate) on a computer server which can be physically located inside a hospital firewall or in either private or public cloud infrastructure. The video can either be a live stream from a high-resolution web camera connected to a dedicated Windows 10 application or a clip recorded using an easy-to-use smartphone app.

It has been evaluated for clinical safety and performance by notified body SGS. Two validation studies are undergoing ethical approvals in the UK and Sweden, to understand performance in COPD patients and among post-operative patients as physiological changes occur.

In care home trials in northern Finland, measurements obtained through Vitacam supported carers to provide observations to a responsible remote primary care physician, who could then advise on changes in medication or other interventions. We are interested to collaborate on health impact studies.

The training required is minimal and installation is straight-forward. We can support both, with training materials and server installation.

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