Monitoring peripheral edema of heart failure patients at home: Device, algorithm, and clinic study.

Continuous monitoring of heart failure (HF) patients is desirable in order to better manage their illness and reduce unnecessary hospitalization. A comprehensive cloud-based HF patient management system is proposed to collect patients' health status information and provide just-in-time intervention. To date, an HF patient edema monitoring system prototype, including the device and its algorithm, has been developed. The hardware features multiple sensors whose data are fused using an edema classification algorithm based on a standard linear solid (SLS) edematous tissue model. Clinical data have been collected and analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the hardware and software. While the analysis results show some promise, full validation of the device and the algorithm warrant further study.

Design of peripheral edema measurement device for home use.

Due to improvements in cardiovascular care, more patients are living longer but ultimately developing heart failure. It is important for patients with chronic conditions, like heart failure, to self-manage and monitor their symptoms. One symptoms that can be indicative of worsening heart failure is peripheral edema. Therefore, we present a concept for a HeartSMART system capable of edema measurement in the home with remote connection to and feedback from providers. The goal of the system is to provide a tool for heart failure patients to manage their disease. The work presented herein describes the system design and preliminary testing using simulated edema models. The system uses displacement and force sensors and mimics the gold standard finger indentation performed by care providers. The results for the edema models (foam) show increasing displacement with edema severity.