Nearly the size of a large vitamin pill, the electronic device journeys along the gastrointestinal tract collecting data and transmitting it to a receiver worn on the patient's belt or around the neck.
After a couple of days, the patient brings the receiver back to the doctor, who downloads the data to a computer.
However, there is no need to retrieve the capsule because it is disposable.
By measuring pH, pressure and its progress through the stomach, intestines and bowel, the $500 device is designed to diagnose a condition called gastroparesis, which causes the stomach to empty slowly.
David Barthel, president and chief executive of SmartPill Corp., stated that doctors like the capsule because it can be given at the office and is reliable and noninvasive.
At this present time, the most common method for diagnosing gastroparesis is a nuclear medicine test, where the patient eats a meal laced with a small amount of radioactive material. The patient stays at the hospital for a few hours longer while a scanner monitors the amount of radioactivity in the stomach.
Symptoms of gastroparesis include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating and weight loss.
Following clinical trials that ended in November of 2005, the Food and Drug Administration approved the device on July 18, 2006.
This fall, the drug should be available for commercial sales.
