Wearable Accelerometer System for Heart Failure Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack effective methods to monitor and quantify the severity and progression of heart failure, particularly in terms of the subjective symptom of dyspnea, which is crucial for optimizing treatment and reducing hospital readmissions.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive system that monitors and quantifies respiratory dynamics to provide objective, measurable indices of dyspnea severity, using local acceleration sensors to detect changes in respiratory work and calculate an excessive energy index (EEi) that correlates with cardiac decompensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If subjective symptom monitoring (dyspnea) is used to assess heart failure severity, then quality of life assessment is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to subjectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective patient self-assessment of dyspnea with objective mechanical sensing using accelerometers and gyroscopes mounted on the patient's body. These sensors detect respiratory mechanics including tidal volume, respiratory rate, and work of breathing, converting subjective symptom monitoring into precise objective measurements of respiratory dynamics without requiring complex medical imaging or laboratory equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces respiratory mechanics parameters as intermediary measurements that objectively reflect the severity of dyspnea. By measuring tidal volume, respiratory rate, and work of breathing through wearable sensors, the system creates an objective bridge between the subjective sensation of dyspnea and quantifiable clinical metrics that can be used to assess heart failure severity and guide treatment decisions
2Reliability
If frequent hospital examinations are conducted to monitor heart failure progression, then detection reliability is improved, but loss of time and productivity worsen due to impracticality of daily clinical examination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables patients to perform self-monitoring of their respiratory mechanics at home using wearable sensors, eliminating the need for frequent hospital visits. Patients continuously track their own tidal volume, respiratory rate, and work of breathing, allowing reliable detection of heart failure deterioration in the comfort of their own homes without requiring physician time or hospital resources
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous home monitoring that detects early signs of heart failure deterioration before clinical symptoms become severe. By continuously tracking respiratory mechanics parameters in the home environment, the system identifies deteriorating trends and alerts patients and providers before acute decompensation occurs, enabling earlier intervention and preventing hospital admissions
3Measurement precision
If body weight monitoring is used to detect decompensation, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to poor sensitivity for clinical deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces simple body weight monitoring with more sensitive mechanical sensing of respiratory dynamics. Wearable accelerometers and gyroscopes measure tidal volume, respiratory rate, and work of breathing, providing significantly greater sensitivity for detecting early clinical deterioration in heart failure patients while maintaining ease of use through continuous automatic monitoring without requiring patient effort beyond wearing the device
4Measurement precision
If BNP testing is performed frequently to monitor therapy, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and productivity worsen due to impracticality of daily testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive blood testing for BNP measurement with non-invasive mechanical sensing of respiratory mechanics. Wearable sensors continuously monitor tidal volume, respiratory rate, and work of breathing, providing precise therapy monitoring data without requiring blood draws or laboratory processing, enabling continuous assessment of treatment response in the patient's home environment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous monitoring of respiratory mechanics that provides real-time feedback on therapy effectiveness. By continuously tracking changes in work of breathing and respiratory dynamics, the system detects early responses to treatment adjustments before clinical deterioration occurs, enabling proactive optimization of heart failure therapy without repeated hospital visits or laboratory testing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively turns subjective dyspnea into objective indices, enabling early detection of heart failure deterioration and predicting rehospitalization risk, thereby improving treatment optimization and reducing hospital readmissions.
Implementation Method 1
a local acceleration sensor mountable on a chest or upper abdomen of a patient for sensing local accelerations or changes in a position, including orientation or displacement
Data Source
AI summary
A method including sensing local accelerations or changes in sensor position, including orientation and displacement, with a local acceleration sensor mounted on a chest or abdomen of a patient, and calculating energy of polyphasic motions, based on sensed information of the local acceleration sensor and classifying severity of cardiac decompensation by calculating an excessive energy index (EEi) that compares excessive energy that appears in the polyphasic motions to energy required for inspiration at a basic respiratory rate.