New sensory device could cut heart failure hospitalisations

Published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, the study assessed the impact of Analog Devices’ Sensinel Cardiopulmonary Management System, a non-invasive device that is applied to a patient’s chest. Using multiple sensors, Sensinel measures several physiological parameters to gauge the level of fluid accumulation in the heart – a key metric for assessing whether heart failure patients require medical intervention.

Today, patients with heart failure are often admitted to hospital multiple times for treatment with intravenous diuretics to relieve fluid congestion. Current methods to detect this congestion rely on expensive, invasive monitoring using specially designed pacemakers or sensors implanted directly in the lung.

The Glasgow team found Sensinel was able to detect changes in fluid in patients with heart failure who had been admitted to hospital to receive fluid removal, either by decongestion therapy or haemodialysis. Patients wear the device for just a few minutes twice a day, with data sent to an app via Bluetooth that can subsequently be assessed by medical professionals. According to the Glasgow team, the study shows the device has the potential to reduce hospital admissions.