AirStrip Acquires Sense4Baby

AirStrip today announced that it is acquiring Sense4Baby, the developer of a wireless fetal and maternal monitoring system. Through this acquisition, AirStrip will enable women to undergo non-stress testing to monitor fetal and maternal heart rate and contraction patterns using non-invasive sensors at physicians’ offices, clinics and ambulances. The full press release is below:

AIRSTRIP ACQUIRES SENSE4BABY, INC. ASSETS, INCLUDING WIRELESS FETAL/MATERNAL MONITORING SYSTEM

Mobile healthcare leader achieves another first: mobilizing waveform data from non-invasive sensors operating outside hospital walls for high-risk pregnancies

SAN ANTONIO – March 27, 2014 – AirStrip, the leading provider of mobile healthcare solutions that drive clinical transformation, has acquired the assets of Sense4Baby, Inc., the developer of a wireless fetal/maternal monitoring system to perform non-stress testing (NST) for high-risk pregnancies, and licensed the associated technology from the Gary and Mary West Health Institute. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Sense4Baby received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a CE mark from the European Commission in 2013 to commercialize its medical device in clinical settings. The acquisition by AirStrip will initially allow women to undergo non-stress testing to monitor fetal and maternal heart rate and contraction patterns using non-invasive sensors at physicians’ offices, clinics and ambulances. AirStrip’s future plans for the Sense4Baby technology include seeking FDA clearance for home-based monitoring.

The patient data from the Sense4Baby system will be mobilized using AirStrip ONE® – the industry’s first enterprise-wide interoperable mobility solution. AirStrip ONE delivers vendor- and data source-agnostic information from multiple sources and care settings to support multiple caregivers and mobile device form factors.



“AirStrip pioneered data mobilization in women’s services ten years ago with the first FDA-cleared application that allowed doctors to monitor live data for patients in labor in the hospital setting. As a result, one in six babies born in the US is now monitored using AirStrip ONE in labor and delivery,” AirStrip CEO Alan Portela said. “Now, AirStrip is innovating again by mobilizing waveform data of pregnant patients beyond the four walls of the hospital, expanding the ability to care for patients throughout the obstetrics care continuum.”

The Sense4Baby technology platform was originally researched at the West Health Institute, which licensed the technology to Sense4Baby, Inc. The company received an investment from the Gary and Mary West Health Investment Fund and was the first resident of the West Health Incubator. The Institute, Investment Fund and Incubator are a part of West Health, four organizations with a common mission—pioneering new and smarter technologies, policies and practices, to make high-quality healthcare more accessible at a lower cost to all Americans.

“AirStrip’s established expertise in clinical mobility, particularly in fetal/maternal mHealth technology, will support the ongoing clinical and commercial development of the Sense4Baby System,” said Jessica Grossman, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sense4Baby, Inc. “Innovative mobile solutions that leverage the Sense4Baby and AirStrip ONE technologies provide an opportunity to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies.”

“The Sense4Baby System allows medical professionals to conduct NSTs anytime, anywhere a mother is located, moving data rather than patients through the care continuum,” added Michael Ross, MD, MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN), Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. “The secure portal facilitates test interpretation by a specialist, ideal for health care in rural populations and for staying connected to vital data that can help ensure the safety of mother and baby.”

About AirStrip
AirStrip® (www.airstrip.com) provides a complete, vendor- and data source-agnostic enterprise-wide clinical mobility solution, which enables clinicians to improve the health of individuals and populations. With deep clinical expertise and strong roots in mobile technology and data integration, AirStrip is empowering the nation’s leading health systems as the industry continues to evolve to new business models, accountable care and shared risk. Based in San Antonio, Texas, AirStrip allows health systems to unlock the full potential of their existing technology investments with a complete mobility solution that provides access to critical patient data across the care continuum. AirStrip is backed by investments from Sequoia Capital, Qualcomm, Inc., Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and the Wellcome Trust. AirStrip’s base of visionary customers includes HCA, Texas Health Resources, Vanguard Health Systems (part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation), Dignity Health and Ardent Health Services.

About Sense4Baby, Inc.

Sense4Baby, Inc. is the developer of an FDA-cleared and CE marked portable, remote, wireless maternal/fetal heart rate monitoring system that works with smartphones and tablets to perform non-stress testing (NST) for high-risk pregnancies during the antepartum period. Sense4Baby, Inc. is creating technologies that shift the site of antenatal care for women to improve patient compliance to care regimens, enhance patient satisfaction and increase access to care where none existed before. Sense4Baby’s core technology was originally researched at the Gary and Mary West Health Institute, which licensed it to Sense4Baby, Inc., which received an investment from the Gary and Mary West Health Investment Fund and became the first company to reside at the West Health Incubator. Learn more at www.sense4baby.com.