Next-generation telehealth devices featured at CES

LAS VEGAS — The Continua Health Alliance and member companies Intel, Trac, Andago, Bluegiga, Texas Instruments and ZyXEL will demonstrate personal connected health solutions this week at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, held from Jan. 6 to 9 here, the alliance announced Monday.

Demonstrations scheduled include a Bluetooth blood pressure cuff and weight scale from A&D, a Bluetooth pulse oximeter (a medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood) from Nonin Medical and a Cypak USB converter cable designed to connect legacy devices to the Continua ecosystem.

In addition, Andago will demonstrate a complete monitoring solution based on Continua Certification Guidelines that works by collecting patient data from a Continua device and sending it to a Linux mobile phone via Bluetooth. The data then is sent through the mobile network and registered in a personal health record to be analyzed by an Open Health Assistant as part of Andago’s care management platform.

Continua will host the closing keynote Digital Health Summit Conference panel discussion Jan. 7. Led by Continua executive director Charles Parker, the panel will include representatives from Intel, Nokia, Ascension Health, Qualcomm and Roche Diagnostics.

Continua is the nonprofit, open industry alliance of more than 230 healthcare and technology organizations dedicated to developing interoperable personal diagnostic devices.