There is a huge demand for a better understanding of the workings of our gastric systems, and so far, nobody has been able to meaningfully collect digital health data about them. Although the stomach is controlled by an electrical conduction system that regulates its contractions, the signals are a hundred times weaker than the heart's.
Imagine a device you wear that will measure the electrical activity of your gut. The technical challenge so far was to find a way to capture these mild signals in a clinically reliable way. A reliable solution that could either be used by patients at home or at the point of care would be a hit.
The Alimetry device has received FDA clearance. However, for the most current and accurate status regarding FDA approvals, it's best to check the official FDA website or consult recent news sources. Regulatory statuses can change, and new approvals or indications may have been granted.
What is in the ‘Body Surface Gastric Mapping System’ package?
A charger dock – with 4 different adapters for all kinds of global outlets, making the device universally usable. The dock needs to be plugged in to charge the reader
A reader with Bluetooth connectivity and wireless charging capability, you only need to place it on the dock, no wires are needed here. One confusing thing: once you pair your reader with the tablet, it stops showing battery charging levels, even if you disconnect them. The tricky part is that the app also keeps showing the battery charge level it had when it was paired, so you need to unpair and pair them again if you want to see the actual figure while charging
Two packages of disposable arrays and array templates, each pair separately sealed
An iPad mini preinstalled with the Alimetry app – and locked to its exclusive use
A user manual booklet with very detailed information on the device, its parts, the setup, and the whole process.
What will the test deliver?
The test aims to detect the causes of overlapping gastric symptoms with distinct underlying phenotypes. In this study, researchers tested 43 patients with indistinguishable symptoms and were able to identify two distinct subgroups.
The Gastric Alimetry platform is currently being used in clinical practice to differentiate between chronic nausea and vomiting syndromes (NVSs) that originate in the gut and those that arise through a centrally mediated pathway—a phenotype often tied to anxiety and depression.
The 64-channel reading of the Alimetry devices focuses on the fact that gastric dysfunctions are associated with abnormalities in the gastric bioelectrical slow waves. As shown in this study, the device was efficient in differentiating between patients having gastric neuromuscular disease or dysregulation of the brain-gut interaction.
The tracing looks much like an electroencephalogram with multiple channels covering the abdomen.
Conclusion
References:
American Journal of Gastroenterology. (a peer-reviewed article listed in PubMed, from the National Library of Medicine (NIH) The American Journal of Gastroenterology 118(6):p 1047-1057, June 2023 DOI: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002077
The Gastric Alimetry device is a first-of-a-kind solution, fully fitting all principles of digital health. It is making patients the point of care and it targets a niche area with massive demand. I am eager to see where Body Surface Gastric Mapping develops in the coming years.
The total time requirement of such a test is significant, patients need to dedicate a total of 10.5 hours to it. The discomfort of the prolonged process is tolerable, many gastric diagnostic methods are much more demanding. If you have chronic NVS and would like to find a way to detect its causes, it is well worth the effort.
At the moment it seems Alimetry is a good tool to detect the underlying causes of chronic NVS, and the company is working on how to apply it to other gastrointestinal conditions, including functional dyspepsia and gastroparesis.
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