STTR Phase I: Electronic Measurement of Capillary Refill Time to Improve Outcomes from Sepsis

这个小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是一种通过测量毛细血管再充盈时间(CRT)来快速诊断脓毒症的新型外部系统。独立的临床研究已经证明了CRT在检测脓毒症方面的有效性。目前监测毛细血管再充盈时间的方法依赖于容易出现人为错误和不一致的体检。该公司的目标是开发一种自动诊断和监测设备，用于客观和重复地量化毛细血管再充盈时间，供临床使用。如果成功，这项技术可能会在急诊科、诊所、救护车或家庭中广泛使用。这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目开发了一种新的手指传感器接口，用于监控CRT，确保手指与各种手指尺寸的传感器之间的接触，并验证该系统在人类使用中的有效性。目标是确保人为因素工程，使广泛的照顾者能够在广泛的患者中使用。还将集成一种新的算法来提高传感器性能，并为用户提供关于噪声或异常信号的反馈。该系统将在一组有脓毒症风险的患者中进行测试，以展示该设备可靠和准确地测量各种患者人口统计数据的CRT，并且该设备可供包括医生和家庭成员在内的各种护理人员轻松使用，而无需进行广泛的培训。一个成功的第一阶段成果是一个系统，该系统能够一致地收集有脓毒症风险的患者的CRT的高质量测量，并为用户提供持续的信号质量测量。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is a novel external system for rapidly diagnosing sepsis by measuring capillary refill time (CRT). Independent clinical studies have demonstrated the utility of CRT for detecting sepsis. Current methods for monitoring capillary refill times rely on physical examinations that are both prone to human error and inconsistency. The company aims to develop an automated diagnostic and monitoring device for objectively and repeatably quantifying capillary refill time for use in a clinical setting. If successful, the technology may have widespread potential use in emergency departments, clinics, ambulances, or at home. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project develops a new finger-sensor interface for monitoring CRT that ensures contact between the finger and sensor across a range of finger sizes and validate the system in human use. The objectives are to ensure human factors engineering to enable use in a broad range of patients by a wide range of caregivers. A novel algorithm to improve sensor performance and provide user feedback on noise or aberrant signals will also be integrated. The system will be tested in a group of patients at risk for sepsis to demonstrate the device reliably and accurately measures the CRT across a wide variety of patient demographics and the device is easily usable by a wide range of caregivers including physicians and family members without extensive training. A successful Phase I outcome is a system enabling the consistent ability to collect high-quality measures of CRT in patients at risk for sepsis and to provide the user with ongoing measures of signal quality.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.