Forget thermometers and blood-pressure cuffs. Now there’s MouthLab.
Engineers at Johns Hopkins University have unveiled a handheld device that runs on batteries and measures heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, breathing rate and blood oxygen just by touching a person’s lip or fingertip. It also performs an electrocardiogram. In tests, prototypes returned results as reliable as those from conventional monitors that live on rolling carts or hang on hospital walls.
The prototype’s descendants could be used by anyone and be a home appliance that could offer a way to self-detect heart attacks or other emergencies in the making. More sophisticated versions could spot early markers of diabetes, kidney disease, and even some kinds of cancer. The makers’ goal is to produce a device that delivers reliable results in fewer than 10 seconds.
TRENDPOST: The MouthLab highlights the shift toward greater self-care and automation of basic medical diagnostics and triage. By saving lab work and professionals’ time, this ongoing shift will curb the cost of medical care while speeding responses to life-threatening conditions.
