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Success stories from NRW

novadocs GmbH – detect cardiac arrhythmias digitally at an early stage

Many millions of people in Germany now use smartwatches. Together with an app development from North Rhine-Westphalia, these watches could in future help to detect cardiac arrhythmias early, write a digital ECG and have it assessed by specialists. The “smartcor” app is an invention of novadocs GmbH from Bad Oeynhausen, which has already been awarded a nationwide prize for it.

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The challenge

Over two million people in Germany suffer from atrial fibrillation, a cardiac arrhythmia in which the heart beats irregularly and too quickly. Many of them don't notice this for a long time. The problem: These symptoms increase the risk of a stroke. Until now, this could only be recognized if people with corresponding abnormalities went to a doctor and an ECG was written. It is recommended that people of a certain age check their pulse regularly. “But this is always just a snapshot,” emphasizes Dr. Christian Flottmann, cardiologist at the Lukas Hospital Bünde in East Westphalia. He would ideally like to have a kind of digital screening, i.e. permanent monitoring, for all people who are at risk of cardiac arrhythmias. And so he teamed up with his former school friend Stephan Garl, project manager and marketing specialist, and developed the core idea for a corresponding app. The two then looked for and found an IT professional in the software developer and entrepreneur Daniel Zenz and together they founded novadocs GmbH in Bad Oeynhausen.

Commissioned by:

  • Photos: novadocs GmbH, ZTG – Center for Telematics and Telemedicine GmbH
  • Text: Lothar Schmitz, business journalist Bonn
  • Publication: July 2023

Dr. Christian Flottmann, CEO of novadocs GmbH

“For the Vytal standard bowl, from the tenth use onwards, the ecological balance of a reusable container is better than that of a comparable disposable container”

The innovation

The invention of novadocs: smartcor, a digital app for stroke prevention. In combination with so-called smartwatches, it unfolds its effect. The light sensor on a smartwatch can not only be used to measure the pulse, but also to determine the capillary blood flow, i.e. the blood flow in small veins. In this way, arrhythmias are also recorded, regardless of visible symptoms. If the watch's algorithm determines that there are irregularities, the user can use the watch to take an ECG themselves. This is easily and securely sent via app together with a standardized questionnaire to a cardiologist for evaluation. The timely specialist evaluation of the ECG recorded using a smartwatch and the “smartcor” app is part of the novadocs service. Flottmann and his two colleagues want to ensure that the occurrence of atrial fibrillation is detected early in more and more people, a stroke is avoided and the disorder is treated in the best possible way. “It is also conceivable that people who are particularly at risk due to diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular diseases but do not use a smartwatch can borrow a device for 3-6 months to enable longer-term screening,” explains Flottmann.

More about smartcor

The NRW effect

The start-up from North Rhine-Westphalia is still young - it was founded in December 2022 - but has already achieved an important award: The smartcor app took first place in the annual award of the German Society for Telemedicine eV "The prize is an award and brings a lot of attention with it,” says founder Flottmann. This also applies to the first-time presence at this year's MEDICA in Düsseldorf in November, which is considered one of the world's largest medical trade fairs. There, novadocs will present its innovation at a joint state stand organized by the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs and the NRW Ministry of Health. The digital founders also feel comfortable in North Rhine-Westphalia and East Westphalia. “As a start-up in digital medicine, we received great support from the Center for Telematics and Telemedicine (ZTG) in Hagen,” praises Flottmann. The ZTG is a manufacturer-independent competence center for telemedicine and digitalization in the healthcare system and was founded in 1999 on the initiative of the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Health. Flottmann and his team also appreciate the high level of networking in the East Westphalia-Lippe health region. There are close contacts, for example, with the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, which is considered a leading international center for the treatment of cardiac, circulatory and diabetes diseases.

This success story of an innovative transformation was published in July 2023. There will be no updates or checks of the information afterwards.

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Transformation through innovation

Background to the publication series

The publication series “Transformation through Innovation” is intended to illustrate how companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have been able to write successful innovation stories thanks to the framework conditions created by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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