I-Corps: Disposable, Continuous, Soft, Wearable Stethoscope for Monitoring Post-Acute Pulmonary Patients

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a novel method for early detection and ongoing assessment of chronic respiratory symptoms that are based on objective and continuous measurements that can be used in both home and clinical settings for post-acute patients. Approximately 25 million Americans have asthma (1 in 13 Americans). Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition marked by reversible airflow obstruction. The disease is caused by persistent inflammation and results in a variety of symptoms ranging from intermittent shortness of breath with activity, to severe, acute symptoms such as chest pain or tightness, coughing, and wheezing. Patients who experience an increase in the frequency and severity of asthma flare-ups owing to poor symptom perception or inadequate adherence to medication may experience asthma attacks or exacerbations, which can be life-threatening. The overall prevalence of asthma has been increasing over time both domestically and globally. According to recent epidemiologic studies, the estimated prevalence of asthma is 8.4 percent and 4.3 percent of the US and global populations, respectively. Monitoring at home can provide an early warning for the development of bronchospasm that can be promptly treated before it progresses to an asthma exacerbation, thereby reducing emergency room visits.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a wireless, flexible, soft wearable stethoscope with gold-standard signal resolution for increasing patient comfort and mobility in post-acute telepulmonary care. In comparison to current rigid stethoscopes which require visits and well-trained clinicians to operate, these characteristics will make it easier for both pulmonologists and patients to continuously monitor the development of pulmonary diseases. The technology is a gentle, wireless auscultation patch with highly conformal sensing and substrate components to maximize comfort while facilitating diagnoses of four different pulmonary abnormal sounds: crackle, rhonchi, stridor, and wheeze. The intellectual merit stems from two key innovations: (1) a novel electronics encapsulation method that permits intimate and conformal contact between the skin and sensing components, and (2) a systematically designed sensor layout to maximize diagnostic-aiding capabilities for clinicians to remotely diagnose post-acute pulmonary care patients.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.