ABSTRACT
Background: Early detection of lung congestion is key for intervention and prevention of hospitalizations in the context of remote patient monitoring (RPM) and telemedicine. This is especially true for patients with heart failure (HF) and COVID-19. We assessed a new contact-free optical medical device (Gili) in detecting increased lung fluid content in these patient cohorts. Methods: Study participants were examined with the novel Gili system, an FDA-cleared device measuring chest motion-vibration data. Increased lung fluid content was verified via presence of either: crackles on auscultation, B-lines on lung ultra-sound, increased BNP levels and/or echocardiographic parameters. Multiple comparative measurements across the duration of hospital stay were sought. Cross-validation was used to estimate the accuracy of the used algorithm. Results: A total of 237 subjects with HF or COVID-19 accounting for 313 comparative measurements (202 cases vs. 111 controls) were made available for this study. Resulting ROC curve included an AUC of 0.92, with observed sensitivity, specificity and combined accuracy of 0.88 [95% CI: 0.83, 0.91], 0.88 [95% CI: 0.84. 0.91] and 0.88, respectively. Conclusion: We report the feasibility of a new contact-free optical measurement tool in detecting presence of lung findings. Its use is especially important amid this pandemic era. [Formula presented]