twincities.com(Pioneer Press), a Minnesota news site has published an article about the origins of AUM Cardiovascular, a local start-up company. Here at medlatest we’re feeling admiration and sympathy for the founder, Marie Johnson, who’s husband was cruelly taken from her at the age of 41 after succumbing to a blocked LAD coronary artery.
Marie had been working on a particular diagnostic “auscultation” technology (we didn’t know what that meant either… apparently “diagnosis by listening”), which enabled her to identify unusual heart sounds and patterns which may be symptomatic of physiological problems. According to the article; “She became familiar with the art of using a stethoscope by listening to her husband’s heart, recording the sounds and then analyzing them on a computer.”
Cutting a long story short, despite thinking she’d picked up a murmur, a raft of diagnostic tests apparently identified nothing unusual. Marie assumed she’d made a mistake, but was devastated when her husband died suddenly from a blocked LAD coronary artery.
Fast forward nine years and Marie has formed a company, employed a number of advisors and has a product in development which appears to provide a means of diagnosing these conditions. In an early study of 52 patients who went on to have angiograms, the system correctly identified 100 percent of patients with normal arteries and 72 percent of patients with blockages in the left anterior descending artery. It’s not at market yet, but the device, called “CADence” seems to have traction in its development to the extent that the company has a website and is talking up its prospects.
According to the article; “The device is not perfect, said Wilson (cardiologist), but studies thus far show the system is at least as accurate as cardiac stress tests in detecting problems.”
“Assuming that future studies also show the device works, it’s still unclear exactly what business model will allow for its wide adoption by doctors, Wilson said. But he added: “Good ideas, in general, somehow get done.”
So, on balance, it’s good luck to AUM Cardiovascular which has demonstrated quite elegantly just how to tap into the American love of a great, albeit desperately sad story. If this ends up with a device that saves lives and generates a successful business, that’s amazing. Double edged sword, silver lining, call it what you will, but you have to admire the drive and belief of some people. To read the full article click here.
Source: twincities.com, medlatest staff
published: October 17, 2011 in: Cardio, medlatest Editorial, USA