MOBILE Phones these days have many built-in functions as technology advances.  Now, another feature can be added to its repertoire – helping us to save lives.

The EPI Life is a phone that can take an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading within 30 seconds, transmit the readings to a medical call centre where a team of doctors will analyse the results, and mobilise an ambulance when there is an impending heart problem.

This device enables doctors to remotely monitor their patients after they leave the hospital, and allows people who experience the transient symptoms of a heart condition – such as palpitations and chest pains – to “catch” their heart reading and seek medical help from their doctors after that.

Unlike using a traditional ECG machine which requires a patient’s chest, arms and legs to be strapped with electrode pads, EPI Life users need only place their fingers on the sides of the phone, through which the metal leads will capture the electrical activity of the heart.

Although such a single-lead ECG reading is not as comprehensive as a complete 12-lead ECG reading, it is the simplest and best way to detect an abnormal heart rhythm. “It was never our intention to replace the ECG machine.  What we are offering is an option of ad-hoc monitoring, which was not available to patients before,” says Chow U-Jin, medical director of Ephone International (EPI), the home-grown company behind the device.

Since its launch in June 2010, the company has sold 2,000 units here and in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and India.  Three months into 2011, it chalked up 40,000 orders from six different countries.  It is projecting a turnover of $40 million for the financial year ending December.

Last year, EPI also won several accolades from the local infocomm sector, including the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) Awards and the National Infocomm Awards (NIA).  On the international stage, the company won the Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards for Best Start-up Company and Best E-Health Category.

These accolades are long overdue as the idea to miniaturise ECG capability into a mobile device was hatched 10 years ago.  The, Michael Lim, the inventor and non-executive chairman of EPI, also a renowned cardiologist in the region, recognised the need to monitor his patients after they leave the clinic.

However, it was only three years ago that technology was able to make chips small enough to be installed in the phone.  Last year, with the support from Spring Singapore and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, EPI cleared the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application that will protect its patent in 143 countries.

The EPI life, which is sold at $992 including a six-month subscription to medical support from a call centre, has so far been more successful overseas than in Singapore.  This is due to the company’s strategy to make waves overseas before focusing on marketing the product here.  “We seemed to be told by the market that we need to make our mark outside Singapore beforewe can be successful here.” says Dr Chow.  This strategy has paid off as EPI Life garnered international attention at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  After the product was featured by wire agencyAFP and Spanish television, the company began to draw the attention of the media here too.

Dr Chow explains that Singaporean consumers are less convinced by a product made here than, for example, those made in Japan.  But the same Singaporean product can be highly regarded in countires across the shores.  He believes that EPI Life’s success overseas will help it gain the confidence of Singaporean consumers.

To distinguish itself from other medical products, the company has made heavy investments to base its entire production in Singapore and to hire qualified doctors from the region to operate the call centre.

Nevertheless, EPI is mindful that the phone has to be kept affordable for its users.  “Being a doctor-run company selling medical devices, we hope that one day it can become affordable enough for every household to have one.” says Dr Chow.  With that in mind, the company is now looking at teaming four senior nurses with every doctor in its call centre to reduce cost.

This is also why the company made EPI Life into a 2G, instead of the more expensive 3G phone.  But now that smartphones are all teh rage, the company has developed another product targeted at this market segment,  At a quarter of the price, but with the same ECG capabilit, the EPIMini can be connected to any Blackberry, Android, or iPhone via Bluetooth to work just like its predecessor.  The EPIMini will be sold here from July.

In the near future, EPI plans to license the technology to hardware makers so that it can concentrate on service delivery.  When that time comes, EPI will provide health-monitoring services for other chronic diseases as well.

This is all towards a goal of home health and remote monitoring, says Dr Chow, and part of the worldwide initiative to put the responsibility of health back to the patients.