The latest in digital therapeutics features a new device that uses Ai to scan a patient’s sinuses and create an acoustic vibration, delivered through a headband, to reduce nasal congestion.
AI is being touted as the biggest new thing since the printing press, a technology that can clear up healthcare’s administrative headaches and improve clinical outcomes. But can it also help cure a stuffy nose?
Digital health company SoundHealth has announced De Novo authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for SONU, a digital therapeutic device that uses AI-enhanced “acoustic vibrational energy” to relieve nasal pressure. The San Francisco-based company can now market the device to consumers aged 22 and older.
“Acoustic vibration associated with humming has been shown to decrease symptoms of nasal congestion, possibly through modulation of autonomic inputs to the nasal mucosa or through nitric oxide activity, which may in turn exert a decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect on the nasal passages,” the company said in its press release.
According to a 2021 Harris On Demand survey, roughly one of every four Americans suffers from nasal congestion on a daily basis, and 85% of those with chronic nasal congestion say it impacts their daily activities. Aside from the discomfort of a stuffy nose, nasal congestion can also lead to sleep problems, headaches, coughing, and a sore throat.
The device may interest healthcare providers who, wary of the addictive nature and side-effects of nasal sprays and drugs, have been looking for alternatives to traditional medication-based treatments, including digital therapeutics.
The SONU device combines innovative new technology with an ages-old therapy.
“It's based on the really old understanding that when we hum or sing or whistle, our sinuses open, and we also feel very relaxed,” Jacob Johnson, MD, president of San Francisco Audiology, an ENT specialist with the San Francisco Otolaryngology Medical Group, and an associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, said in the SoundHealth press release.
“The vibration relaxes the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of our autonomic nervous system,” he continued. “It opens our sinuses with resonance [and] improves the flow of mucus in the nose and promotes ciliary action. …It's a very good alternative to the other options of medications, allergy management, surgery and office procedures.”
According to the company, the SONU device includes a headband and smartphone app that scans the user’s sinuses to create a digital map, then calculates the user’s “optimal resonant frequencies.” The user then puts on the headband, which “delivers frequencies tailored to the patient based on the app’s calculations.”
But don’t feel bad for nasal sprays. If they lose their appeal for defeating stuffy noses, they may find a new use, such as in treating Alzheimer’s.
Eric Wicklund is the associate content manager and senior editor for Innovation at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Nasal congestion affects one-fourth of Americans and can impact daily activities, even cause sleep issues.
Healthcare providers are looking for alternatives to medication, including digital therapeutics, to treat many common ailments.
The SONU device is an AI-enhanced headband that uses “acoustic vibrational energy” to reduce nasal congestion.