BANGALORE, India, Aug 25, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A project by scientists in
the United States and India may soon produce an inexpensive Web-enabled device
that will allow asthma monitoring on the Internet.
The device that would measure lung function in patients with asthma and other
disorders is being developed by the U.S. electronics company Texas Instruments
Inc. at its Bangalore, India, facility.
The device will allow physicians to monitor their patients remotely and quickly
instigate medical attention in an emergency.
Spirometers are commonly used to measure lung capacity and the response of
breathing during therapy, the scientists said. But use of spirometers is limited
in the developing world because of their cost and a lack of healthcare workers
trained to use them.
In the new study, Texas Instruments researcher N.C.S. Ramachandran and Professor
Vivek Agarwal of the Indian Institute of Technology are developing an
inexpensive, portable and easy-to-operate spirometer that can be quickly coupled
to an Internet connection through built-in Web and data encryption software.
The new spirometer is based on a microelectromechanical system.
"Not only can the remotely located patient consult a specialist," the
researchers said, the device will help the specialist "instruct the patient for
specific test procedures and treatment."
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
**********************************************************************
As of Thursday, 08-21-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend® Alert,
an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a DOWNTREND on
06-11-2008 for TXN @ $30.14.
For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data
provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com
SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc.
Copyright © 2004-2008 Comtex News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.