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

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种基于客观和连续测量的早期发现和持续评估慢性呼吸道症状的新方法，可在家庭和临床环境中用于急性后患者。大约2500万美国人患有哮喘（每13个美国人中就有1个）。哮喘是一种以可逆性气流阻塞为特征的慢性呼吸系统疾病。该病由持续性炎症引起，并导致各种症状，从间歇性呼吸短促伴有活动，到严重的急性症状，如胸痛或胸闷、咳嗽和喘息。由于对症状的认知不佳或药物依从性不足而导致哮喘发作频率和严重程度增加的患者可能会出现哮喘发作或恶化，这可能危及生命。随着时间的推移，无论是在国内还是在全球，哮喘的总体患病率都在上升。根据最近的流行病学研究，估计美国和全球人口的哮喘患病率分别为8.4%和4.3%。在家监测可以为支气管痉挛的发展提供早期预警，可以在其发展为哮喘恶化之前及时治疗，从而减少急诊室就诊。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种无线、灵活、柔软的可穿戴听诊器，该听诊器具有黄金标准的信号分辨率，可提高患者在急性后肺护理中的舒适度和灵活性。与目前需要就诊和训练有素的临床医生操作的刚性听诊器相比，这些特点将使肺科医生和患者更容易持续监测肺部疾病的发展。该技术是一种温和的无线听诊贴片，具有高度适形传感和基底组件，可最大限度地提高舒适度，同时有助于诊断四种不同的肺部异常声音：噼啪声、隆隆声、喘鸣声和喘息声。智能优点源于两个关键的创新：(1)一种新颖的电子封装方法，允许皮肤和传感元件之间的亲密和适形接触；(2)一种系统设计的传感器布局，以最大限度地提高临床医生远程诊断急性后肺部护理患者的诊断辅助能力。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 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.