In cardiac arrest, every second counts; the sooner resuscitation is started, the greater the chance of survival. A new watch should increase the speed with which cardiac arrest is detected and reported, thus increasing patients’ chances of survival.
17,000 people suffer cardiac arrest in the Netherlands every year. The impact of this is great, both on the environment and on the patient himself. In many cases, this causes permanent damage, such as brain damage. This can affect the quality of life. The speed of intervention is crucial in increasing the chance of survival. Every minute that CPR starts later reduces the chance of survival by 10%.
Not always someone around
Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and citizen first responder systems have been available for some time to increase the chance of survival of patients. Nevertheless, the chances of survival remain limited, partly because there is not always someone around. People in cardiac arrest are currently mainly dependent on witnesses, who can call an ambulance or call in civilian emergency services.
In practice, only twenty percent survive a cardiac arrest outside the hospital. A new watch that is being worked on within the Eindhoven MedTech Innovation Center (e/MTIC) should provide a solution. The e/MTIC is a strategic collaboration between the Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven University of Technology, Philips Eindhoven, Máxima MC and Kempenhaeghe sleep and epilepsy center. “In cardiac arrest, every second counts. With this new groundbreaking technology we can save more lives,” says Lukas Dekker, cardiologist at the Catharina Hospital and professor at TU/e.
“People who suffer cardiac arrest in a place where there are no bystanders now have no chance of being saved. A technological solution that can be worn permanently can save lives. This type of technology is urgently needed to reduce the risk of death or permanent damage.”
Detects variations in light reflections
The watch initially resembles a smartwatch in terms of operation, but is equipped with more advanced algorithms. These guarantee accurate and reliable detection of cardiac arrests. Patients wear the watch on their wrist, after which it uses sensors to detect variations in light reflections due to the pulsatile blood flow – the beating of the heart.
Dekker: “Many people are familiar with the green light at the bottom of a smartwatch. To determine the methods for diagnosing cardiac arrest, we are currently testing the watch during procedures in the hospital. Patients participating in the study wear the watch during heart surgery, so that we can compare the signals with an ECG and blood pressure measurements.”
Also attention to the ethical side
An important point of attention in the development of the watch is the ethical side. “We carefully look at aspects such as acceptance by the public. For the latter, consider the question of whether you can ask people to wear a watch for years that reminds someone of the risk of sudden death,” says Dekker.
One of the initiators behind the watch is the Heart Foundation. The foundation, together with partners, wants to provide information from various angles. “Through the combination of advanced technologies, medical, psychological and ethical research, we hope to further improve survival rates from cardiac arrest. Although it will take some time before a prototype is ready that people can wear outside the hospital, we are already taking an important first step with this study. Through collaboration and innovation we may be able to create a world in which lives are saved,” Dekker reports.
In addition to the Heart Foundation, various other parties are also involved in the project: TU Eindhoven, Tilburg University, Amsterdam UMC, Stan and Philips. The Heart Foundation finances the development from the PPP allowance that the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland) has made available. This surcharge is intended to stimulate public-private partnerships.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Foto: PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay
2023-10-10 02:24:37
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