PEOPLE who have the respiratory disease cystic fibrosis might soon be able to predict when they are about to develop debilitating infections using a simple gadget that plugs into a cellphone.
Working with the mobile network O2, start-up E-San of Oxford, UK, is performing a 50-patient trial with a cystic fibrosis monitoring system at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
The system uses a cellphone plug-in called a spirometer to measure the strength of a patient鈥檚 breathing when they blow sharply into it. The reading is sent via a wireless link to a doctor鈥檚 PC, which has software to predict if an infection is imminent based on a knowledge of their personal breathing strength levels. If necessary, the GP can then prescribe antibiotics to fight the bug before it hospitalises the patient.
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