Posted on November 18, 2024
Bristol-based EarSwitch is paving the way for a new era of healthcare with its groundbreaking EarMetrics technology. By leveraging the power of the ear canal, EarSwitch aims to enable accurate, inclusive, and accessible medical monitoring solutions. Supported by Health Innovation West of England and Invest Bristol & Bath, EarSwitch is harnessing the region’s life sciences ecosystem for growth.
Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, at the Innovative Devices (IDAP) Expo 2024, said: “It is shameful that in modern Britain, the colour of your skin, or where you’re born can define the quality of healthcare you receive. So, I was delighted to find out about the Earmetrics Oximeter, which has been developed by Earswitch, and included on the IDAP pilot.
“Oximeters usually take oxygen readings from people’s fingertips. But higher levels of melanin can disrupt everyday oximeters, giving wrong readings to people with darker skin tones. The ear-oximeter takes the reading from inside the ear, so it removes this risk, and eliminates the disparity.
“I know that with every new technology comes a risk of exacerbating inequalities, as some people benefit from a postcode lottery of innovation, and others miss out. I’m interested in technologies that make our NHS fairer. Narrowing, not widening this gap.”
The challenge
Dr Nick Gompertz has had 30 years’ experience as an NHS doctor, achieving Membership of the Royal College of Physicians and subsequently spending 21 years as a GP. Using that experience, Nick developed EarMetrics to provide better medical monitoring for all; to resolve the racial inequity of finger oximetry and improve the accuracy and usability of all standard medical monitoring devices. EarMetrics evolved from Nick’s initial Communication EarSwitch earbuds which are currently starting clinical trials to help people with motor neurone disease (MND or ‘Locked in syndrome’), cerebral palsy and other neurological impairments better communicate.
Traditional finger pulse oximeters are life saving devices used across healthcare to provide vital information to support clinical decision making via the measurement of oxygen saturation in the blood. However, most pulse oximeters are accurate to within 2% to 4% of the actual blood oxygen saturation level. This means that a pulse oximeter reading may be anywhere from 2% to 4% higher or lower than the actual oxygen level in arterial blood.
A number of factors can impair the functioning or accuracy of a pulse oximeter. Nail polish and artificial nails may block the red and infrared light emitted by the device. Excessive motion—shivering, shaking, or other movement—can also cause erroneous readings
Pulse oximetry can be less accurate for people who have dark skin pigmentation. Evidence is also building that shows that pulse oximetry more frequently fails to detect hypoxemia—low blood oxygen levels—in people with darker skin tones as compared to white patients because of the way light interacts with melanin.
This means that black people are up to three times more likely to receive inadequate oxygen based on inaccurate readings from the very device that is meant to monitor their vitals. Traditional oximeters have been shown to overestimate oxygen saturation by up to 4% in black and brown skin, on top of the known inaccuracies of the devices more generally.
This discrepancy is the difference between staying in hospital on oxygen therapy or being discharged and sent home.
Aisha Alexander, Paediatric trainee and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur, said: “During a panel session Nick presented his innovation which aims to deliver accurate and equitable patient monitoring through ear metrics. We were shown data on how inequality is built into healthcare through the very technology we use on a daily basis and heard stories of the impact this has had on patients’ lives the world over. I thought about all the young black patients I watched dying in front of me on a daily basis in Intensive Care in the first wave of the pandemic, I still remember most of their names, and wondered “what if?”. I thought about every child with black and brown skin I’ve treated as a paediatric trainee with sickle cell, bronchiolitis or croup who deteriorated unexpectedly and wondered “could the bias and inaccuracy of the technology we treat as gospel adversely affect these patients?
“I am genuinely so thankful to be on a programme that means I get to meet such incredible people who are changing the face of healthcare for the better through innovation and collaboration.”
Our approach
Health Innovation West of England has supported EarSwitch over the last three years by brokering a three-year productive relationship with the Health Tech Hub at the University of West of England, Bristol, with additional access to smaller local grants by providing prototyping and CAD (Computer Aided Design) modelling for example, to match-making a local investor to successfully apply for and gain a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Healthy Aging grant – part of a five-year programme to help people remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible. As the technology gets closer to launch, we will continue to support the company to refine their value proposition, seek funding and grants and gain evidence to support commercial licensing discussions and opportunities to collaborate with the wider healthcare community. Nick is also supported via the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, a workforce development programme for clinical and non-clinical NHS staff, run by NHS England’s Innovation, Research, Life Sciences and Strategy group and delivered jointly with Anglia Ruskin University. This programme has also supported Earswitch to develop the commercial skills, knowledge and experience needed to successfully develop and spread innovative solutions to the challenges facing the NHS for the benefit of patients, staff and the wider NHS.
Alex Leach, Deputy Director of Programmes, Health Innovation West of England, said: “We feel honoured to have been able to work with Nick and his team from the very beginning of his innovation journey. The need to drive innovations that deliver equitable, high-quality care is fundamental to the work of the Health Innovation Network and we are excited to continue to support the company in their mission to revolutionise how we monitor oximetry and save lives as a result.”
Impacts to date
EarSwitch stands out in the medical technology landscape due to its innovative use of the inner ear canal for monitoring vital signs. EarMetrics sensors are directed at the non-pigmented inner ear-canal and (at 1mm sq) are suitable for medical devices, audio earphones and hearing aids. EarMetrics aims to become the new global standard of medical monitoring, providing full sets of more accurate (core/central), real-world, synchronous, multi-parameter and racially inclusive data. EarMetrics-Oximetry is one of the eight Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot innovations and in the future, EarMetrics-Cloud seeks to be the globally trusted and reliable source for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) driven health insights.
Today, EarSwitch™ is so much more than the initial vision. The company now has a team of 14 people turning ideas into reality from their headquarters in Bristol, with doctors, scientists, developers, engineers, and industry experts working together to build and market potentially life-saving technologies. The jump from four to 14 team members was directly as a result of investor introduction from Health Innovation West of England to EarSwitch Ltd – for a successful match funded UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Healthy Ageing grant.
They also have multiple academic and clinical partners helping to fund this development, take their products through clinical trials, and connect them to potential licensees – so that they can make the greatest positive impact on society. This includes the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme, the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP), Praetura Ventures, and the NVIDIA Inception Program – to name a few. Locally, Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust has completed a protocol ready to run first in human studies in intensive care and acute respiratory care, pending funding from a national UK charity.
Nick Gompertz, founder of EarSwitch, said: “The involvement of Health Innovation West of England has allowed us to really accelerate our EarMetrics. Now we’ve been recognised nationally and we’re in a pilot of eight innovative devices to progress rapidly through regulatory approval through the NHSIDAP pilot – an initiative to bring new medical technologies to the NHS to help with medical needs that are currently unmet.
“Without Health Innovation West of England, we wouldn’t have accelerated to the stage where we’re aiming to be the global standard of medical monitoring device by 2025.”
