According to the American Heart Association www.heart.org, the annual cost for treating patients with CHF is $31 billion in the U.S. with the majority of this cost due to hospitalization. It has been shown that nearly 50 percent of patients with CHF discharged from the hospital will be readmitted within six months.
The National Science Foundation www.nsf.gov awarded VoluMetrix LLC in Nashville Tennessee $225,000 to develop a low-cost, wearable sensor array and mobile application. This sensor will be used for real-time volume status assessment to help patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).
This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project titled “Wireless Point-of-Care Sensor for Continuous Fluid Status Monitoring of Patients with CHF” will be performed at Vanderbilt University www.vanderbilt.edu with Kyle M Hocking as Principal Investigator. The research is expected to be completed December 2016.
Non-invasive outpatient CHF monitoring has the potential for the early detection of fluid overload prior to CHF symptoms. If successful, the outcome of this technology will enable caregivers to assess the patient and adjust medications or diet on an outpatient basis before the patient needs to go to the hospital.
For more information, email kyle.m.hocking@vanderbilt.edu or call VoluMetrix at 678 234-7792.