The Northfield, Minn.-based company's stethescope-like CADence System routs acoustic data from a patient's heart through an algorithm that can diagnose blockages. Physicians can use results to decide to decide whether to send patients for further testing.
Aum CEO Marie Johnson, an engineer, an engineer, started the company more than five years ago after her husband died suddenly from a heart attack at age 41.
Aum's non-invasive, stethoscope-like tool routes acoustic data from a patient’s heart through an algorithm that can diagnose blockages. Currently, doctors use several factors, such as cholesterol, obesity and blood pressure, to assess a person’s risk for such heart-related issues, but they aren’t always accurate. Doctors also can order angiograms for more accurate diagnoses, but they are invasive and expensive, costing between $3,000 and $5,000 a test, Johnson said.
Aum's product would cost many multiples less and would provide feedback in seconds that doctors can use to more accurately gauge a person’s risk.
In a sense the CADence System is an electronic stethoscope, applied to the chest by a physician to record sounds arising from beneath. Turbulence within the coronary arteries produces a distinct audio signal that can be identified using a proprietary algorithm built into the device. The CADence System is indicated for patients that have chest pains in addition to at least two other coronary artery disease risk factors such as obesity and hypertension. It’s not suitable for patients that have undergone procedures such as bypass grafts and coronary stenting, as well as those with certain conditions, which can confuse the algorithm and lead to false negatives and positives.
The company won the Minnesota Cup business-idea competition in 2011.