There’s been a great increase in the amount of apps for prevention, diagnostics and therapy are being developed for smartphones, tablets and even wearables. A background about digital health applications and their corresponding medical devices will be presented at international medical trade fair MEDICA in Düsseldorf, Germany, from November 18–21, 2019. Several hundred of these young, digitally driven companies will be at the event to present their innovations. MEDICA DISRUPT pitches will be held within the MEDICA Connected Healthcare Forum and the MEDICA Start-up Park.

Pioneers at MEDICA Disrupt

At MEDICA Disrupt, finals take place during the first two days of the event, with each final involving 10 start-ups. Other programs will discuss body augmentation: the optimization of the human body using robotics, 3-D printing and intelligent implants.

On November 18, the 11th INNOVATION WORLD CUP will look at healthcare solutions in IoT; the following day, the best health app will be awarded during the MEDICA App Competition.

Start-up Ebenbuild and its CEO Dr. Kei W. Müller will be present and looking for development partners. The company has been conducting research for a project with a goal of providing patients who have acute respiratory distress syndrome with customized mechanical ventilation settings to improve survival and recovery. Ebenbuild is working on software that uses CT scanning and machine learning to produce a virtual patient-specific model of the lungs, essentially creating a digital twin for automated and precise prediction of optimal ventilation. A product prototype is already available and will undergo testing over the next three years. The session, “How Digital Twins will improve healthcare for their real-world counterparts”, will be held in the MEDICA Health IT Forum.

Technology Improving the Patient Experience

Vitascale, also part of the DISRUPT session, wants to make spiroergometry a more pleasant patient experience using a novel headset that replaces a mask and mouthpiece. The patented system consists of a headset that measures expiratory oxygen, respiratory volume and pulse, while an app calculates personal fitness, fat burned and the basal metabolic rate. In addition, 13 more start-ups will be showcasing innovative technology for measuring blood pressure, lab-on-skin technology and biomarker analysis during the DISRUPT session. .

Michele Maltese, CEO and co-founder of Avanix, will present a modern monitoring system that allows professional caregivers to monitor Alzheimer’s patients around the clock. The OiX Care system is comprised of a transmitter (OiX Sensor) worn by the patient and a receiver to provide real-time communication via an ISM radiofrequency protocol. The device has an indoor range of 200 meters and an outdoor range of three kilometers, and does not require a telephone or network connection to transfer information.

Other sessions will address artificial intelligence (AI), big data and how AI is used to classify and document ulcers and wounds.

Booming Start-up Park

The MEDICA Start-up Park offers a space for more than 30 young companies to discuss new product concepts. SensDx, has developed software and hardware applications to diagnose the flu virus early as well as prevent incorrect flu diagnosis resulting in lung infections and bronchitis. Its quick test diagnoses infections of the upper respiratory tract. After a swab sample is taken, it is placed in a solution in a capsule and then into a compact measuring device.

Other companies at the Start-up Park include Germany-based Rehago, which specializes in virtual reality applications for training activity in rehabilitation of hemiplegic patients, and patients with muscular spasms or hemispatial neglect (an attention disorder caused by brain lesions). Swiss-rehab company Intento will present a user-friendly application for patients who have been severely paralyzed by strokes and are recovering upper-limb motor function. The solution employs electrical stimulation and includes a tablet application for therapists and a device for controlling patient movement that is linked to an electrical stimulator.

For information on visiting or exhibiting at MEDICA 2019, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit http://www.medica-tradefair.com and www.mdna.com