Project 455077

Heart failure is a crucial issue for both patients and the healthcare system. The cost associated with heart failure (HF) is approximated to be $2.8 billion in Canada. HF patients have the highest rate of returning to the hospital within 30 days of hospital treatment. It is vital to monitor the progress of the disease immediately after the patient returns home; however, research shows that the timing of follow-up is often delayed due to factors such as physical drain on the patient side after leaving the hospital. One of the ways to improve health monitoring after leaving the hospital is to use technology to assist the patient. Smart sensors installed around the home can sense the patient and can conduct necessary measurements for the patient automatically. The patient's heart health can be monitored while they are sleeping on a specialized bed. The technology is based on a bio-signal called ballistocardiograph (BCG). One would see a slight fluctuation (i.e., BCG) when stepping on a weight scale if the scale had two to three more digits at the end. BCG-based technology has been successfully tested in the lab environment, and design improvements have been made to capture more information using the BCG. The current study will examine its effectiveness in monitoring a patient's heart function with the novel technology. The devices, including a bed and a scale-like platform, will be tested on ten HF patients visiting the hospital for a procedure known as right heart catheterization (RHC). The system will also be evaluated on 30 HF patients admitted to the hospital due to a severely deteriorated heart condition known as acute decompensated heart failure. As they go through the treatment and their heart functions improve, the technology's ability to detect the improvement will be assessed. If successful, the study will prove that the technology is a viable tool for monitoring HF patients at home and may greatly improve the monitoring effectiveness.