Two years after it developed a prototype, digital health startup 11Health officially launched its flagship product to alert people who use an ostomy pouch when they need to empty the contents.
Michael Seres, the founder and CEO, developed the Ostom-i sensor as part of a digital health tool to address a real, yet embarrassing problem for this patient community who share a real need. The device clips on to the outside of the pouch. It uses Bluetooth technology to transmit a signal to an app on an Android or Apple smartphone, which alerts the patient through an alarm- system that the pouch is filling up during the day or night.
11health also developed clinical facing versions of the alert for nurses and physicians.
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In an interview, Seres said the sensor recalibrates depending on what position users are in so it won’t give them a false reading. If an alarm goes off, they can get out of bed, empty the pouch to avoid accidents. Users receive an alarm on their smartphone telling them when the pouch has reached a certain percentage full.
The global demand for ostomy bags is expected to rise from $2.1 billion in 2011 to $2.6 billion in 2018.
Seres shared his perspective as a patient entrepreneur launching a healthcare startup in this article.
