HeartKey® Supports NHS in Fight Against COVID-19

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 12 March 2020, five months since the earliest case was reported under medical surveillance.

COVID-19 Global Pandemic
Our deeply intwined and connected planet has been shocked by the unpronounced and unpredictability of COVID-19. In the UK alone there are now thought to be over 300,000 cases of coronavirus (19,522 confirmed). The NHS is already under immense strain, health leaders are warning that existing staff will not be able to cope as the demand for medical resources increases in the coming weeks.

As a connected generation we have become used to managing, monitoring and listening to our own health – our global technologies advances in healthcare technologies in recent years has had a greater focus on prevention, health and wellbeing to bring major improvements in patient outcomes. At B-Secur we believe that these innovative health technologies will play an increasingly important role in the battle to fight this pandemic and serve as a preventative tool thereafter.

Current Update –  28th March 2020 

• According to John Hopkins University the global cases stands at least 723,319.
• Latest figures show the global deaths at 33,993
• Data for the UK confirmed 19,522 cases and 1,228 deaths, resulting in a death rate of 6.29 percent.
• 20,000 former medical staff have returned to increase capacity in the face of the disease.
• Doctors threaten to quit NHS over shortage of protective kit, undermining the call for new/redeployed NHS recruits.

Hospital in England will run short of critical care beds for COVID-19 patients within the next two weeks if the numbers becoming severely ill escalate on the scale experienced in Italy.
UK’s intensive care units operate at 80% capacity

The Impact of COVID-19 on The Body
The virus is most likely to enter your body from your own contaminated hands. Coronavirus particles have spiked proteins sticking out from their surfaces, and these spikes hook onto cell membranes, allowing the virus’s genetic material to enter the human cell.

EKG
Literature and our own data shows significant changes in EKG vital signs when the body is fighting an infection (notably Heart Rate , Heart Rate Variability and Physiological Stress). These changes can happen prior to your feeling any symptoms, an outwardly silent yet critical indicator of oncoming illness. It is also widely acknowledged that those with underlying cardiac conditions are at greater risk of contracting the virus. It has been found that COVID-19 may actually induce cardiac conditions. The American College of Cardiology, found that 16.7% of COVID-19 patients developed arrhythmia, whilst infected. An electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) is the medically selected method used to detect arrhythmia.

HeartKey®’s rich feature set is underpinned by our intelligent and adaptive signal conditioning technology which enables highly accurate EKG detention on dry electrodes in real time. Powerful indicators of cardiac health, our Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability algorithms comply to medical ANSI standards. Our Physiological Stress algorithm provides deep insight into a body’s true state and our trusted Arrhythmia algorithms can be used in the detection and monitoring of atrial fibrillation, tachycardia and bradycardia.

Explore HeartKey Library 

B-Secur Fight COVID-19
B-Secur are currently supporting several NHS medical test facilities with our technology and internal EKG expertise.

Up to 1.5 million people with underlying health conditions that might make them especially susceptible to the effects of COVID-19 have been sent letters this week, urging them to remain in their homes for 12 weeks.
Vulnerable individuals could be remotely monitored via HeartKey®.

The need for accurate, trusted telemedicine has never been so obvious or essential, whether that be within hospital or at home. This opportunity to free up medical resources and prioritise patients with mobile EKG technologies could ultimately save lives. We are passionate about using our powerful technology to help fight the spread of COVID-19.

Please get in touch via email or connect with our CTO Adrian Condon if you believe our technology could help your institution and their efforts.