The ritmo was awarded the GERMAN MEDICAL AWARD 2021

Small device – big award:

The new (long-term) mini ECG recorder ritmo received the renowned GERMAN MEDICAL AWARD in the category “Medical Innovation Product” at the MEDICA in Düsseldorf yesterday. Every year, the coveted GERMAN MEDICAL AWARD crowns outstanding achievements and innovations in medicine that enable better patient care. The ritmo system convinced the jury with its smart interaction of a compact medical device and artificial intelligence (AI) in terms of innovative stroke prevention. Until now, long-term ECGs have been used to detect insidious stroke risks such as atrial fibrillation or other cardiac arrhythmias at an early stage. However, these are associated with time-consuming hospital or practice visits for patients. Due to complex “wiring”, the devices are often prone to malfunctions, are uncomfortable to wear and require time-consuming cleaning. The new development ritmo can detect atrial fibrillation easily, quickly and reliably thanks to the AI software and is comfortable for the patient to wear. It thus enables uncomplicated screening of patients at risk over a period of up to 12 days.

A matter of the heart – in the truest sense of the word

The wireless mini ECG was developed by Dr Ekkehard Schmidt, Dr Stephan Kranz and Dr Matthias Glawe. The Hamburg founders of the start-up dpv-analytics were visibly moved and proud to receive the coveted award. Cardiologist Dr. med. Ekkehard Schmidt said: “The ritmo is literally a matter of the heart for our team. We accept this award on behalf of all 500 thousand patients in Germany who are affected by atrial fibrillation but have not yet been diagnosed and can now be better protected from an impending stroke.” Stephan Kranz, MD, specialist at the renowned Cardiologicum Hamburg and Managing Director of dpv-analytics, added: “We are grateful that the ritmo award also brings the topic of prevention more into focus. This confirms our conviction that it is time for a paradigm shift – away from treatment and towards prevention.”

At just 5×5 cm, the ritmo wireless ECG recorder is as small as a passport photo, is sent to the patient by post and can be easily attached and removed by the patient. It is showerproof, is attached directly to the skin with an “electrode patch” and records data for up to 12 days. After recording, the recorder is simply sent by post to the dpv evaluation centre, where the data is read in and evaluated. The result is checked by a doctor and then made available digitally.