Technology

From Wind Tunnels to Hearts

The development of the core technology behind Vital Metrix was started in 2009 with a project for the US Air Force to monitor the condition of valves used to control flow through the wind tunnels at Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee. We used existing instrumentation and advanced signal processing to extract information about the condition of the bearings in these large, up to 4 feet diameter valves.

At the time we delivered the software to the Air Force my wife’s father was suffering from cardiac issues and the only assessment option was the Swan-Ganz in a hospital setting.  Creating a less invasive diagnostic solution for patients hit home.

I realized that the human cardiovascular system is similar to a wind tunnel – the piping branches a lot and is flexible, and the pump is unique, but it’s still a piping network with fluid moving through it. We realized we could actually create a better diagnostic solution using what we had learned from a wind tunnel! We used a grant from the National Science Foundation to adapt the core technology to the cardiovascular system monitoring and cardiac output measurement.

Today we are well on the way to delivering an alternative to invasive procedures that will provide important diagnostic monitoring for millions of cardiac patients and those dedicated to their care.

Alton Reich, Founder