Will the Personal Wheezometer™ diagnose Asthma?

To make a diagnosis of asthma your Doctor will take a detailed medical history, do a physical examination and use a variety of tests such as spirometry, chest x-ray, Pulmonary Acoustic tests, Laboratory and possibly challenge tests. The Personal Wheezometer™ is a medical device that can assist you and your Doctor to manage your asthma, with the use of an Asthma Care Plan.

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How do I know that the Personal Wheezometer™ is safe to use?

The Personal Wheezometer™ has undergone a variety of tests which have been reviewed by experts. As a non invasive device which uses sensors to measure and assess wheeze rate the Personal Wheezometer™ provides information to assist with the management of wheeze and asthma. In addition it has been accepted by the FDA(USA), European Union and TGA(Australia) government regulatory organisations for sale in those countries.

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Will the Personal Wheezometer™ be available in my local pharmacy?

The Personal Wheezometer™ is currently only available over the counter from Pharmacies in Australia and through health care professionals in the United States of America and Canada . It will eventually be sold through various outlets in many countries around the world.

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How does the Personal Wheezometer™ detect Asthma?

The Personal Wheezometer™ detects the presence of wheeze which is a major sign of asthma. It does this through acoustic signal acquisition and advanced signal processing techniques. Using sensors that are specifically designed for lung-sound detection, the sound is analysed by KarmelSonix patented algorithms and signal-processing techniques resulting in a "Wheeze Rate". This is exactly the same technology used for the hospitals and clinics based KarmelSonix product - Pulmotrack. Whilst the detection of wheeze can be a sign of asthma it is important to review all symptoms with your health care professional to confirm a diagnosis.

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What is a Wheeze Rate?

The Personal Wheezometer™ quantifies wheezing activity using Wheeze Rate – Portion of the respiratory cycle duration occupied by wheezing (Wz% =Tw/Ttot) In other words, how much of your breathing time is taken up by wheezing, shown as a percentage number. e.g. 10% The wheeze rate technology is already in use in hospitals and clinics with the KarmelSonix Pulmotrack respiratory asthma monitoring and management device and has already been cleared by the American Food and Drug Association (FDA), the European system (CE Mark) and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

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When can I use my Personal Wheezometer?

Wheezometer.com only ever recommends that the Wheezometer be used with an Asthma Care Plan from your doctor. The Wheezometer can be used Pre and Post bronchodilator medication therapy to assess effectiveness of treatment, regular daily monitoring and assessment of a preventative management asthma care plan, prior to any physical exercise, to help you gauge if you should or should not exercise, and at any time that symptoms occur so that you can then use the information with your Asthma Care Plan provided by your doctor, day or night, to make appropriate and safe decisions.

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Who can use the Personal Wheezometer™?

The Personal Wheezometer™ has been developed so that it can be used by anyone from adults and parents to teenagers, from doctors to nurses, from occupational health and safety officers through to staff at the gym, or sporting club, to the school health nurse or qualified first aider. In other words, it has been developed as a device for use by regular people to help them manage their or their families asthma better and have a better understanding of the symptoms, and be used in conjunction with an individually tailored Asthma Care Plan from their doctor. Wheezometer.com always recommends that in addition to using your Personal Wheezometer™, that it is always used with advice from your health care professional.

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How should I use the Personal Wheezometer?

The Wheezometer should be used in conjunction with an individually tailored Asthma Care Plan given to you by your doctor, to help you manage your asthma.

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Can I use the Personal Wheezometer™ for my whole family?

The Personal Wheezometer™ is very much like other home monitoring devices, (such as a thermometer or home blood pressure monitor) as it can be used by more than one person. Each reading will be specific to that person at the time it occurs. The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the Personal Wheezometer™ gives excellent advice on how to clean and use the device with different people.

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Can I use the Personal Wheezometer™ for a common cold?

The Personal Wheezometer™ is a medical device that detects wheeze and registers a "Wheeze Rate" and has only been recommended to be used in conditions where it is possible to manage this symptom with your doctor or a qualified health care professional, such as in Asthma.

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Who is Wheezometer.com?

Wheezometer.com is a web site that has been set up for you to understand what is the Personal Wheezometer, and how it helps you to manage your Asthma. The Personal Wheezometer technology of KarmelSonix Ltd is based on the acoustic respiratory monitoring technology developed for hospital and medical systems around the world. This exact same technology, is now in a hand held device for anyone, who needs to manage their Asthma symptoms.

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Is the Personal Wheezometer registered for use in my country?

The Personal Wheezometer™ has received regulatory approval for the European Union and Australia and in the United States of America and Canada for purchases through health professionals. Over the course of 2010 the Personal Wheezometer™ will be progressively registered throughout other parts of the world such as India, Japan, China and Taiwan, Latin America and Africa. Each country has a different set of regulatory requirements for registration. KarmelSonix will be working with each different jurisdiction separately to ensure that the Personal Wheezometer™ is registered as quickly as possible. Wheezometer.com will update the FAQ page to advise when a particular region has received regulatory clearance.

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Does my Doctor know about the Personal Wheezometer™?

KarmelSonix has been developing the technology over many years and now has medical devices in hospitals and clinics around the world using the technology to detect wheeze and register a "Wheeze Rate". The Personal Wheezometer™ is a new medical device that uses this same technology, so your doctor may be familiar with the journal articles on the technology or the hospital equipment, but the Personal Wheezometer™ is so new, they may not have heard of it before. KarmelSonix has presented the technology at international respiratory conferences and will continue to market the products, ensuring Specialists and Doctors as well as your Doctor is aware of the technology.

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How can I order my own Personal Wheezometer™?

The Personal Wheezometer™ will be available for sale in your country only when it receives government regulatory registration approvals. However by registering via the Wheezometer.com site you can ensure that you are one of the first to receive any up-dates about the release of the Personal Wheezometer™ in your country or region. We will not be selling the Wheezometer on-line.

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