Heart failure is associated with many complications such as leg oedema, pulmonary oedema, limitation of physical activity, kidney disease etc. Pulmonary oedema is a very serious complication, as it causes difficulty breathing and thereby reduced oxygenation of the blood. The condition could therefore have severe consequences, and the right treatment is acutely necessary.
High-tech clothing
A new invention is now being tested on patients with heart failure. It is a vest which patients wear over clothing and which measures the amount of water inside the lungs through the chest. Today, it is difficult for doctors to assess the amount of water in the lung tissue. Fluid collects in patients with left-sided heart failure because the heart’s ability to pump blood to the body is reduced, and therefore, the blood pools in the small pulmonary circuit. Until now, doctors haven't had non-invasive methods, but instead they have relied on patients weighing themselves daily and reporting symptoms in order to adjust the patient’s treatment and reduce the risk of pulmonary oedema. However, once the symptoms are present, the condition is often so serious that hospitalisation is necessary.
The vest, which is currently being tested at The Ohio State University Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, is worn over clothing, it is thin and light-weight, and it provides the cardiologist with important information. By means of radar technology, it can measure the amount of fluid in the lungs. This way, it can contribute to the initiation of treatment before the condition develops – thus, pulmonary oedema can be prevented. This can lead to fewer hospitalisations and re-hospitalisations of patients with heart failure and thus increase the feeling of freedom.
When the vest is done reading – a process which takes around 90 seconds – the data is sent to the doctor, who can contact the patient if medications need adjustment due to a slow increase of fluid.
The trial will include patients with heart failure and they will be followed for up to nine months. A previous study showed an 87 percent reduction in hospitalisations due to pulmonary oedema in patients with heart failure. Thus, the goal of using the vest is to keep the patient within a normal range so he or she feels well and out of the hospital.
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