STTR Phase I: Development of an Objective Tremor Detection System to Improve Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Outcomes

这项小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是提供定量的、可操作的数据，使新生儿戒断综合征的婴儿得到更安全、更有效的治疗。医学界对使用了几十年的主观评估工具感到沮丧。技术已经发展到一个客观的替代方案是可能的。虽然许多医疗技术减少了医患参与，但这种方法将提高医生互动的质量，改善患者的治疗效果，并通过将患者的住院时间缩短50%，为每位患者节省约15,000美元。据估计，仅在美国每年就可节省4.02亿美元的医疗费用。虽然这项技术的重点是新生儿戒断综合征，但正在研究的物理震颤在性质上与其他神经系统疾病相关的震颤相似。该项目的成功结果将使未来的研究能够改善其他神经系统疾病（如ALS、脑瘫和帕金森症）患者的预后。新生儿戒断综合征的成功足以在产品发布后提供可持续的商业成功。该计划使用微型无线传感器来检测、区分和量化患有新生儿戒断综合征的婴儿因戒断引起的生理震颤。一个成功的结果将是用客观数据取代主观的芬尼根评分系统的关键指标的测量系统。该项目的目标是设计传感器，优化传感器的位置和数量，并设计信号处理算法，以便通过对患者四肢和/或躯干的测量来区分一般婴儿运动和NAS震颤。作为验证过程的一部分，震颤测量将与传统的芬尼根评分评估相关联。弗吉尼亚州卫生部报告说，2012年发现了394例NAS病例，约占所有阿片类药物成瘾病例的15%。治疗这些病例的费用为1660万美元，或每例约4.2万美元，主要原因是平均住院时间为10天，比类似患者群体的全国平均住院时间短5至6天。另外两个独立的数据来源估计，美国现有的治疗市场总额为8.05亿美元。来自100多名医生和护士的反馈表明，这种方法可以将住院时间缩短50%，节省约3亿美元。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will be to provide quantitative, actionable data that enables safer, more effective treatment of infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. The medical community is frustrated with the decades-old subjective assessment tools at their disposal. Technology has progressed to a point where an objective alternative is now possible. While many medical technologies reduce physician-patient involvement, this approach will increase the quality of physician interactions, improve patient outcome, and save an estimated $15,000 per patient by reducing length of stay for those patients by as much as 50%. This estimated healthcare savings in the United States alone is $402 million annually. While this technology is focused on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, the physical tremors being investigated are similar in nature to those associated with other neurological disorders. A successful outcome of this project will enable future research to improve the outcomes for patients suffering from other neurological disorders such as ALS, Cerebral Palsy, and Parkinson?s. Success with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome is sufficient to provide sustainable commercial success after product launch.The proposed project uses miniature wireless sensors to detect, differentiate, and quantify physiological tremors caused by withdrawal in infants suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. A successful outcome will be a measurement system to replace key indicators of the subjective Finnegan Scoring System with objective data. The project objectives are to design the sensors, optimize placement and number of sensors, and design signal processing algorithms to allow discrimination between general infant movements and NAS tremors as measured on patient limbs and/or torso. Tremor measurements will be correlated to traditional Finnegan Scoring assessments as part of the validation process. The Virginia Department of Health reported that in 2012, 394 cases of NAS were found, representing approximately 15% of all opiate addictions. The cost of treating these cases was $16.6MM, or approximately $42k per case, driven primarily by the average length of stay of 10 days, five to six days less than the national average for similar patient populations. Two additional, independent data sources estimate a total available US market for treatment to be $805MM. Feedback from more than 100 doctors and nurses indicates this approach can reduce length of stay as by as much as 50%, saving an estimated $300MM.