Cough Monitoring App for COPD Added to NuvoAir Home Platform

NuvoAir has released a new mobile app for home use, called NuvoAir Cough, that can record and analyze coughing sounds made by patients with lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The app is included in the NuvoAir Home platform, the company’s digital respiratory support system. Coughing patterns, together with data on other symptoms, can be used by the patient’s physician to remotely evaluate how well their lungs are working.

“Our vision is to offer a comprehensive care platform that empowers respiratory patients to better manage their condition and enables physicians to make data-driven care decisions, leading to better outcomes. Understanding cough patterns is a very important step in the right direction,” Lorenzo Consoli, CEO of NuvoAir, said in a press release.

NuvoAir Cough, currently only available for Apple’s iOS operating system, uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to detect coughing sounds recorded on a smartphone. Recorded cough sounds are then sent to a secure server, where the algorithm processes the data and removes noise interference.

When results are returned, they can be analyzed by the patient’s physician to determine whether coughing symptoms are worsening or easing. The app can monitor coughing sounds at night, while the user is sleeping, as well as in daytime during low-level activities in quiet areas.

According to NuvoAir, this app has been tested in a clinical study, whose positive results will be released in an upcoming publication.

NuvoAir’s digital respiratory care platform has been classified as a Class Im Medical Device, meaning that it meets the safety and performance requirements for medical devices sold within the European Economic Area. It includes a bluetooth spirometer, of use for several lung function measures, called Air Next, that has been certified by EU and U.S. health authorities.

Other devices on the NuvoAir Home platform can measure physical activity, blood oxygen levels, body weight, and air quality, as well and now, cough patterns. Together with the healthcare portal, the system provides a way for patients to track their health status and easily share information with their physicians.

The platform is expected to be of use in managing COPD, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy.

Published studies demonstrating the system’s clinical value are available on a company webpage.