Monitoring body temperature has always mattered, but COVID-19 made it vital because fever is one of the standard symptoms of infection. We all know how temperature is taken, but what if there was an easier way to do it? What if doctors could continuously monitor body temperature fluctuations?
That’s what this new medical device does and it’s called SteadyTemp. It’s a body patch that looks very much like a bandage and it was developed by Steadysense in Styria, Austria. It has been developed to help doctors collect continuous temperature information from patients.
Recently, there was a clinical trial for the device where Med Uni Graz researchers compared the new SteadyTemp method to more conventional methods to measure someone’s temperature. It’s important to note that the Australian Research Promotion Agency funded this project in 2020 as part of their request for more research into the virus.
Insight Into the SteadyTemp
This medical device consists of a system that includes a temperature sensor. The sensor is integrated into the body patch and the data can be visualized via an app, which also processes and collects all the body temperature information.
The SteadyTemp can be easily placed on the body and patients can use it for several days, as doctors see fit. All the data the device collects while the patient is wearing it can be read in the app, which can be used on any mobile device. Such as a smartphone or tablet, so the information is always digitally available.
The SteadyTemp Clinical Trial
So far, there are no comparable temperature-checking methods that are non-invasive. This is why they had to conduct a clinical trial. They did so at an intensive care unit where it’s routine to conduct continuous body temperature monitoring with a bladder catheter tube.
The continuous body temperature values provided from the bladder catheter tube were compared to the continuous body temperature values provided by both the SteadyTemp system and the conventional auxiliary contact thermometer method.
What the trial showed is that the SteadyTemp device seemed to be as accurate as the conventional auxiliary contact thermometer. However, the SteadyTemp provides a clear advantage because it processes and collects the development in patients’ body temperature.
One of the researchers involved in the trial, Robert Krause, stated that recent studies have shown that there is a broad range of normal body temperatures. That fact is backed by continuous body temperature measurement, which is what shows doctors the temperature level of the patient.
The SteadyTemp device was developed to make that process easier for doctors and non-invasive for patients. Continuous body temperature measurement is not only useful for patients with COVID-19, but it’s also important for other vulnerable patients.
For example, elderly patients or patients who are immunosuppressed can benefit greatly from this kind of device. According to researchers, these vulnerable groups don’t always exhibit sufficient temperature rises to reach a level that can be categorized as fever if they contract an infectious disease.
But with a device like the SteadyTemp, it would be easier for doctors to keep an eye on temperature fluctuations in these patients and be able to detect when any changes in body temperature may indicate an issue.
Final Words
The market for medical devices continues to grow and it’s exciting to see innovations like this one that aims at making clinicians’ jobs and patients’ lives easier.
COVID-19 has definitely boosted research and innovation in many different ways. Researchers seem to be extremely motivated to find smart ways to address issues and provide nifty solutions to make a big difference in the medical community.