AS EASY AS SLEEPING
Caring for your loved one can be
About Balliscor
Balliscor, a biomedical company, is helping to improve the lives of heart failure patients through its SmartTile device. Founded in 2010 by Dr. Alex Mihailidis and Dr. Isaac S. Chang, the company originated as a research endeavor. Their observations of cognitively challenged patients struggling with simple tasks highlights the significance of effortless heart failure care. Dr. Suzanna Mak's entry as a clinical partner marked a pivotal moment, giving rise to Balliscor Inc. The company's core aim is crafting unobtrusive monitoring solutions with minimal user engagement. A cornerstone of Balliscor is its commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity. The central focus remains on extending remote monitoring choices, thus bridging healthcare gaps between urban centres and rural areas.
At the heart of innovation lies the SmartTile device, leveraging ballistocardiograph (BCG) data to transform heart health assessment. Positioned beneath a patient's bed, it provides continuous oversight of vital metrics: heart rate, cardiac output, stroke volume, and even pulmonary artery pressure. Real-time tracking assures both patients and caregivers, as the device promptly signals potential concerns to clinicians and users. Balliscor's vision encompasses minimizing the use of invasive hemodynamic procedures by offering discomfort-free insights into patient well-being. Ultimately, the company strives to redefine heart failure care, augmenting quality of life for patients while championing improved heart health worldwide.
Heart Failure in Seniors
Proper self-monitoring by the patient at home can prevent recurrent congestion.However, 70% of heart failure patients are seniors, and of these, 30% or 1.4 million patients in North America have cognitive impairment as comorbidity, spanning from forgetfulness to severe dementia.Limited physical and cognitive capacities may disrupt the ability to self-monitor, resulting in otherwise preventable readmission.
Introducing
SmartTile
At Balliscor, we recognize these challenges and have embarked on a mission to revolutionize heart failure care through innovative technology. Our groundbreaking solution, SmartTile, addresses the critical need for zero-effort remote monitoring. By seamlessly integrating into the lives of patients, it eliminates the barriers that hinder effective care, empowering patients to live fuller lives while providing healthcare professionals with comprehensive insights.
Through SmartTile, we are poised to transform heart failure care, ensuring that patients receive the attention they deserve without the undue burden of managing complex devices. Join us on this journey as we redefine the future of remote monitoring and pave the way for a healthier, more connected world.
Team
Publications
1. Chang, IS., Osman, S., Bentley, RF., Mihailidis, A., Mak, S., Ballistocardiography to Characterize Pulmonary Artery Pressure In Advanced Heart Failure Patients and Healthy Adults. 2022 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC 2022), Oct 27 - Oct 30, 2022. Ottawa, ON, Canada.
2. Chang, IS., Boger, J., Mak, S., Grace, SL., Arcelus, A., Chessex, C., Mihailidis, A., Load Distribution Analysis for Weight and Ballistocardiogram Measurements of Heart Failure Patients Using a Bed Scale. 2021 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS 2021), Oct 31 - Nov 4, 2021. Virtual.
3. Chang, IS., Mak, S., Armanfard, N., Grace, SL., Boger, J., Arcelus, A., Chessex, C., Mihailidis, A. Quantification of Resting-state Ballistocardiogram Difference between Clinical and Non-clinical Populations for Ambient Monitoring of Heart Failure. IEEE J Transl Eng Health Med, vol. 8, pp. 1-11, 2020.
4. Chang, IS., Javaid, AQ., Boger, J., Grace, SL., Arcelus, A., Mak, S., Chessex, C., Mihailidis, A. Novel Method for Synchronization of Multiple Biosensors. IEEE Sensors Letters, vol. 4, (1), pp. 1-4, Jan 2020.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8943151
5. Chang, IS., Armanfard, N., Javaid, AQ., Boger, J., Mihailidis, A., Unobtrusive Detection of Changes in Systolic Blood Pressure Using RJ-interval of Healthy Adults with Potential Application in Orthostatic Hypotension and Supine Hypertension. 2019 41st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) Minisymposium on Recent Advances on Cuff-Less Blood Pressure Measurement Technology II, July 23-27, 2019. Berlin, Germany.
6. Chang, IS., Armanfard, N., Mak, S., Grace, SL., Boger, J., Chessex, C., Mihailidis, A., Unobtrusive Physiological Monitoring via Ambient Sensors Embedded in a Home Environment. RehabWeek 2019, June 24-28, 2019. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
7. Chang, IS., Armanfard, N., Javaid, AQ., Boger, J., Mihailidis, A. Unobtrusive Detection of Simulated Orthostatic Hypotension and Supine Hypertension using Ballistocardiogram and Electrocardiogram of Healthy Adults. IEEE J Transl Eng Health Med, vol. 6, pp.1-13, 2018.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8478791
8. Javaid, AQ., Chang, IS., Mihailidis, A. Ballistocardiogram Based Identity Recognition: Towards Zero-Effort Health Monitoring in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) Environment. 2018 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS 2018), July 17-21, 2018, Honolulu, HI, USA.
9. Chang, IS., Javaid, AQ., Boger, J., Arcelus, A., Mihailidis, A. Design and Evaluation of an Instrumented Floor Tile for Measuring Older Adults’ Cardiac Function at Home. Gerontechnology, vol. 17, (2), pp. 77-89, 2018.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cPmCPkOhuAXwLB6zgBRrei50Twm6ntXu
10. Grace, SL., Taherzadeh, G., Chang, IS., Boger, J., Arcelus, A., Mak, S., Chessex, C., Mihailidis, A. Perceptions of seniors with heart failure regarding autonomous zero-effort monitoring of physiological parameters in the smart-home environment. Heart & Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, vol. 46, (4), pp. 313-319, 2017.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0147956316302266
11. Chang, IS., Boger, J., Qiu, J., Mihailidis, A. Pervasive Computing and Ambient Physiological Monitoring Devices. In: B. Bouchard (Eds). Smart Technologies in Healthcare. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 2017.