A Monitoring Solution That
Provides Critical Information
for Health Management Teams

For years, Cassia Networks has delivered reliable, long-range multiple-device connectivity, edge-processing, and location services solutions for Bluetooth^® IoT networks. They support a wide range of markets, from the Industrial IoT (IIoT) and connected health to education and smart buildings.

I recently spoke with Felix Zhao, CEO of Cassia Networks, about how they work closely with VivaLNK and Yijin Health to deliver a scalable and cost-effective health monitoring solution to help fight the spread of communicable diseases.

Q&A with Felix Zhao

Could you talk more about this health monitoring solution?

Individuals suffering from a communicable disease require continuous health monitoring of their vitals, especially body temperature, ECG, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen. The traditional method of monitoring body temperature involves the use of an oral thermometer, but in situations where widespread infections are present, this method increases the risk of spreading the virus.

VivaLNK, a leading provider of connected healthcare solutions for in-patient and remote patient monitoring, has developed a wearable sensor to continuously monitor body temperature. This easy-to-use sensor is placed under the patient’s armpit and can monitor the axillary temperature in real time.

VivaLNK, in conjunction with Yijin Health, chose Cassia Networks’ Bluetooth^® gateway to provide a complete health monitoring solution. Cassia’s Bluetooth gateways are used to wirelessly transmit a patient’s body temperature from the sensor to a centralized dashboard where nursing staff and physicians can continuously monitor key vitals. The system will alert medical staff in the event a patient’s temperature is higher than a pre-configured threshold. Not only does this reduce the need for physical routine patient checks, but it also reduces the possibility of cross-infection.

 Are there any hospitals or organizations using this solution?

This solution is being used in the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center to help fight the spread of COVID-19. The feedback received so far has been positive, and we anticipate additional deployments to be underway soon. VivaLNK, Yijin Health, and Cassia Networks are working closely to deliver this scalable and cost-effective health monitoring solution in other healthcare facilities and hospitals.

How does Bluetooth technology contribute to your patient monitoring solution?

The combination of VivaLNK’s temperature sensors and Cassia’s Bluetooth gateways can provide the following:

Low Power Consumption and Long Battery Life

A temperature sensor placed under a patient’s armpit broadcasts body temperature data to the gateway. Because of Bluetooth technology’s low power consumption, the temperature sensors can operate 21 days after fully charged.

Long-range, multiple device connectivity and powerful scan capability

Our Bluetooth^® enabled gateway can provide long-range coverage of up to 300 meters (1000 feet) in an open space with a Bluetooth end device and allow up to 40 Bluetooth Low Energy devices to be paired and connected simultaneously.

Using a unique scan feature, scanning capability is significantly improved, especially in environments with high background noise and situations that require a large number of sensors. In this particular situation, a single gateway can cover two-to-six rooms in the hospital and can simultaneously receive broadcast data from up to 200 temperature sensors.

Highly scalable, flexible, and easy to use

In conjunction with an access controller (AC), a powerful network management solution, medical staff can easily deploy and manage all Bluetooth gateways in the hospital from one centralized dashboard. In this particular situation, the ability to quickly and easily deploy and manage the end devices and network improves efficiency and allows medical staff to focus on providing quality care to patients.

What are the benefits of this solution?

In conjunction with Cassia Networks, this solution is helping to prevent cross-infection in medical facilities by providing the following:

Reducing the risk of cross-infection and minimizing the spread of communicable viruses

The continuous health monitoring solution provides nurses and physicians the ability to continuously and accurately monitor patients’ vitals. By eliminating the need for medical staff to physically check on patients, cross-infection and spread are reduced.

Improving efficiency and quality of patient care while reducing costs

By combining wireless technology, data, and analytics into a fully integrated health monitoring solution, the quality of patient care in the hospital is improved. Nurses and physicians now have access to real-time body temperature data via a dedicated platform. Medical staff will receive automatic alerts in the event a patient’s body temperature deviates from the norm, allowing them to respond when needed. Not only does this improve the efficiency of medical staff, but it also reduces costs by minimizing the number of healthcare workers needed for routine patient checks.

We are currently working with our partners to add more Bluetooth^® sensors in the health monitoring solution to monitor other key body vitals, such as ECG, respiratory rate, glucose, and blood oxygen levels. In conjunction with Cassia’s Bluetooth gateways, the temperature sensors can be used for location tracking of patients, healthcare staff, and key assets in these medical facilities. This feature is incredibly valuable because it provides critical information for the health management team.