Abreu btt 700 System for continuous temperature monitoring launched at ASA Annual Meeting

Oct 18 2010

Conquering the last frontier for monitoring vital signs, Brain Tunnelgenix Technologies Corp.™ (btt™ Corp.) is introducing the Abreu btt™ 700 System for continuous temperature monitoring at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today. The Abreu btt 700 System sensor is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for placement on the skin and to be used during surgical procedures, recovery room, intensive care and general patient monitoring. The Abreu btt 700 System can be seen at the btt Corp. booth (3815) at the ASA today through October 18.

“By uniquely harnessing the best of biology to create the best of technology, we will enable clinicians to escape their dependence on invasive thermometry and surface measurements across thermal barriers.”

The Abreu btt 700 System is the world's first continuous and noninvasive device that measures temperature on the skin surface of the body with the highest thermoconductivity, the fat-free skin that overlies the Brain Temperature Tunnel (BTT), the groundbreaking discovery of a new thermal organ in the body by Yale researcher Dr. Marc Abreu. Unlike blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and oxygen saturation, up to now temperature was the only vital sign that could not be noninvasively monitored in a continuous fashion; temperature needed to be measured and recorded manually by nursing staff or invasively by doctors using catheters during surgery.

"We are very excited that medical professionals and researchers will now have access to the first product in history that enables temperature to be continuously monitored on the only truly thermoconductive skin in the body," said Rick Foreman, Chief Executive Officer of BTT Corp. "By uniquely harnessing the best of biology to create the best of technology, we will enable clinicians to escape their dependence on invasive thermometry and surface measurements across thermal barriers."

Problems with Current Thermometry

Since the invention of the thermometer 300 years ago, humans have invaded multiple orifices and penetrated multiple sites in an attempt to overcome the body's thermal barriers to monitor temperature. Because the body's layer of fat provides insulation and prevents adequate thermal emission, the skin surface, such as the forehead and axila, cannot provide accurate thermal measurement. Forehead thermometers are therefore forced to rely on artificial calculations, which can lead to overestimation and underestimation. Ear canal thermometry also relies on artificial estimations, and numerous reports, including reports by the British Government, show the limitations and dangers of the errors caused by ear thermometers.

In addition, rapid digital oral and rectal thermometers also frequently rely on estimation techniques, leading to further inaccuracies. Furthermore, oral thermometry requires at least a 30-minute wait after food or liquid is consumed, otherwise the measurements will provide an erroneous reading. The BTT site's unique physiology is not affected by fluid or food intake.

Body invasion is necessary to achieve continuous monitoring. Surgery has relied on Foley for bladder measurements and esophageal catheters, whose accuracy is affected by the function of the site. Bladder measurement is dependent on urine production, and is therefore an unwise approach, because surgical patients are volume depleted. This dependence on urine production to measure temperature also leads to delays and inaccuracies that can cause serious complications. In addition, infections invariably occur in patients with urinary catheters.

All invasive procedures carry the risk of organ injury and can increase health care costs due to medical interventions and longer hospital stays. The Abreu btt 700 system instead relies upon continuous, noninvasive temperature measurement that enables clinicians to eliminate these problems in monitoring temperature during surgery.

Product Highlights

Made in the United States, the Abreu btt 700 System offers unsurpassed quality and reliability. The system allows for the first time in history full automation of patient monitoring with both wired and wireless signal transmission, creating a new level for patient care and research. A high-precision electronic instrument intended for sensing and monitoring patient temperature, the Abreu btt 700 System has been designed with multi-channel capabilities for continuously monitoring other parameters including heart rate, blood pressure and oximetry.

This proprietary system, which is protected by issued and pending patents in the U.S. and around the world, runs on a Windows-based platform and is hosted in the ASUS Eee PC, the pioneer in the PC industry for netbooks. The system combines full data storage capabilities with sophisticated data analysis, including the ability to combine data from multiple sensors for optimizing clinical decisions and thereby improving patient care outcomes.

The Abreu btt 700 System includes a disposable "finger sensor" probe (Abreu btt C1) that may be used for continuous temperature monitoring at the Supero Medial Orbit (SMO) site during surgery, critical care and recovery, while a special reusable pen-type probe (Abreu btt S1) is available for spot-check readings of the SMO site.

SOURCE Brain Tunnelgenix Technologies