NimbleHeart: Cardiac Screening for Astronauts Now Publicly Available in Sunnyvale

Local tech was on display at a recent event on Historic Murphy Avenue in Downtown Sunnyvale. The Sunnyvale Tech Business Expo gave community members an inside look at tech created in their own backyard. Among the presenters was NimbleHeart, a company that’s making cardiac screening once used on NASA astronauts available to the public.

NimbleHeart was co-founded by Sonal Tambe, a former engineer at Apple. During her MBA studies at UCLA’s Anderson School, Tambe saw a need in the market for more comfortable and reliable cardiac monitoring, especially in the area of preventative screening. She teamed with Dr. Pramod Deshmukh, an electrophysiologist with more than 20 years of experience specializing in cardiovascular diseases.

“[NimbleHeart] monitor[s] the whole ECG while exercising multiple electrodes. So, it can basically show you what’s happening in your heart when you exercise, when your heart is under stress,” said Tambe. “[It] can show you if there are any early indications, any rhythm problems and blockages.”

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The product was custom made for NASA to monitor men and women preparing for space flight. The data from NASA testing helped NimbleHeart receive FDA approval in 2017.

The product is now manufactured in Sunnyvale and is also available to the public at its facility at 1180 Miraloma Way. The company uses registered nurses like Cindy Pellissier to ensure that clients receive the best care possible.

“[Cindy] helped us with the clinical studies, and also she helps us conduct this cardiac screening test,” said Tambe. “Our product allows virtual cardiac rehabilitation now. So, since COVID, the patients can take our device. They don’t have to go to hospital for the rehab. They do it at home. And Cindy and people like her, they help do cardiac rehab on the patients remotely.”

Pellissier has worked as a registered nurse for 20 years. She says NimbleHeart offers multiple benefits compared to the hospital cardiac screening devices, not the least of which is that you’re not required to shave.

“I work for cardiac rehab at Good Samaritan Hospital, and every day, we use these stick-on pads,” said Pellissier. “You don’t have that [with NimbleHeart]. It’s a metal tab that goes on and makes contact. It’s not sticky to your skin. It’s not wires. It’s just part. It just sits under, like your bra, on your chest, and it’s comfortable.

“It gives you good results. A lot of times, our monitors will pick up … somebody will be running on the treadmill, and they’ll pick up a lot of interference,” Pellissier. “This [NimbleHeart] is pretty much better because it’s tight to your skin.”

NimbleHeart is also used by some police and firefighters for preventative screening.

For more information about NimbleHeart, visit the company’s website at NimbleHeart.com.

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