COOL TOOLS
The DizzyFIX
The idea for the DizzyFIX came to Dr. Matthew Bromwich while he was doing his residency in otolaryngology at the University of Western Ontario. There he studied with Dr. Lorne Parnes, one of the world's leading authorities on the type of vertigo known as BPPV. The experience got him thinking about a way to help patients do the repositioning manoeuvre that treats BPPV. As many as 50% of people with BPPV will experience at least one relapse, and many will have repeated relapses. Rather than wait for appointments with specialists, he thought, they could treat recurrent episodes quickly and effectively themselves—with the right sort of help.
Enter the DizzyFIX. The device is attached to a baseball cap, and the patient guides a little green ball through an oil-filled tube by means of a sequence of head movements. When the ball has been moved through the tube successfully, the repositioning manoeuvre is complete. Clinical trials have shown that the device is as effective as treatment in a doctor's office: in nearly 90% of patients, symptoms simply go away.
In 2005 Dr. Bromwich teamed up with friends and family to set up Calgary-based Clearwater Clinical Ltd. The company was formed to market the DizzyFIX and to serve as an incubator for other inventions. The DizzyFIX has been on sale in Canada since 2007. It received FDA approval in the United States in September 2008. AHFMR provided technology commercialization funding to help pay patenting costs.
Dr. Jacob Jaremko joined the Clearwater team as advancement officer in 2005. "Our focus now is getting DizzyFIX known among physicians and physiotherapists—basically, any medical professional who treats people with vertigo. This is a device that really works."
For more information on the DizzyFIX go to www.dizzyfix.com