In a recent study from the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers developed an experimental device that uses machine learning tools—and a bathroom scale—to monitor heart failure.
The user steps onto the scale and touches metal pads. The device records an electrocardiogram from their fingers and—more importantly—circulation pulsing that makes the body subtly bob up and down on the scale.
Machine learning tools compute that heart failure symptoms have worsened.
In the study, the researchers report proof-of-concept success in recording and processing data from 43 patients with heart failure.
A future marketable version of the medical monitoring scale would ideally notify a doctor, who would call the patients to adjust medication at home, hopefully preventing a long hospital stay and needless suffering.
The pulsing and bobbing signal is called a ballistocardiogram (BCG), a measurement researchers took more commonly about 100 years ago but gave up on as imaging technology far surpassed it. The researchers are making it useful again with modern computation.
Heart failure affects 6.5 million Americans and is a slow-progressing disease, in which the heart works less and less effective.
Many people know it as congestive heart failure because a major symptom is fluid buildup, which can overwhelm the lungs, impeding breathing and possibly causing death.
Patients endure repeat hospitalizations to adjust medications when their condition dips, or “decompensates,” making heart failure a major driver of hospital admissions and healthcare costs.
Home monitoring reduces hospitalizations but currently requires an invasive procedure.
The current study was behind the launch of such an implantable heart failure home monitoring device in 2011.
But this new solution would potentially dispense with the procedure, cost much less, and be much simpler to use—lowering patients’ resistance to home monitoring.
Given its early stage, the study’s BCG-EKG scale performed well in hospital tests but also in in-home tests, which was promising, since the solution principally targets eventual home use.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about these 4 supplements may help prevent heart disease, stroke and findings of this drug can be a low-cost heart failure treatment.
For more information about heart disease, please see recent studies about driving with heart disease: Checking fitness to drive safely and results showing that this type of work is linked to many heart problems.
The study is published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. One author of the study is Omer Inan.
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