SBIR Phase II: Affordable Remote Cardiac Monitoring Device For Improved Firefighter Safety Outcomes

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一个全面的生理监测平台，为从事危险职业的个人（如消防员）提供纵向和实时的生理监测，包括预测诊断。由于现有的生理监测产品对大多数消防和应急服务机构来说成本过高，而且50%的消防员死亡是由于心脏突发事件造成的，因此该技术为消防机构提供了一种经济实惠的机制来解决这一关键问题。多项研究表明，早期发现不规则心率事件（心律失常）对预防和治疗进一步的心血管疾病具有显著的优势。拟议的技术创新将包括可穿戴生理监测设备，该设备将使用一系列网络机制与用户友好的分析平台进行通信。此外，将自我警报系统集成到可穿戴贴片中，即使消防员和指挥中心之间存在通信延迟，也可以支持独立操作。早期发现心律失常并促进纠正措施可以使每个人的心血管残疾索赔减少约32.5万美元。拟议的项目旨在减少因潜在心血管疾病和消防人员在危险的职业环境中工作而造成的极端生理紧张而造成的消防员伤亡所带来的经济和社会成本。该技术的可负担性不仅可以提高行业的职业安全，还可以使科学家通过使用该技术进行实验和现场研究，进一步了解氧饱和度、心电图值、极端高温和生理应激之间的相互关系。该平台的纵向分析也将为科学家提供必要的工具来研究生理压力与人类表现因素之间的关系，从而更深入地了解决策、风险感知和沟通等机制中的关键因素。这些因素在美国国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）对消防员死亡事件进行调查后经常被引用，同时在美国国家消防协会（NFPA）制定的操作程序标准中发挥着重要作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the development of a comprehensive physiological monitoring platform that provides individuals working in hazardous occupations, such as firefighters, with longitudinal and real-time physiological monitoring that includes predictive diagnostics. Because existing physiological monitoring products are cost-prohibitive for most fire and emergency service agencies, and 50% of firefighter deaths are due to sudden cardiac events, this technology offers fire-service agencies an affordable mechanism for addressing this critical problem. Multiple studies have shown that early detection of an irregular heart-rate event (arrhythmias) offers a significant advantage in preventing and treating further CVD. The proposed technological innovation would consist of a wearable physiological monitoring device, which will use a range of networking mechanisms to communicate with a user-friendly analytical platform. Further, the integration of a self-alert system into a wearable patch would support a standalone operation even if there were to be a communication lag between a firefighter and command center. Early detection of arrhythmias and promoting corrective actions could reduce each individual cardiovascular disability claim by about $325,000.The proposed project aims to reduce the economic and social costs associated with firefighter injuries and fatalities due to underlying cardiovascular-disease and the extreme physiological strain resulting from the hazardous occupational environments in which fire services personnel work. The affordability of the proposed technology would not only improve occupational safety in the industry, but also enable scientists to further scientific knowledge about the interrelationships between oxygen saturation, ECG values, and extreme heat and physiological stress by using this technology to conduct experimental and field-based research. The longitudinal analysis possible with this platform would also give scientists the tools necessary to research the relationships between physiological stress and human performance factors, to gain a deeper understanding about critical factors in mechanisms such as decision making, risk perception, and communication. These factors are frequently cited in National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) after incident investigations of firefighter fatalities, along with playing important roles in the operating procedure standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.