Portable device for monitoring water balance in elderly

描述（由申请人提供）：脱水是老年人发病和死亡的常见原因。 识别处于危险中的个体并保持足够的液体平衡是老龄化人口医疗保健的重要组成部分。 目前，还没有有效的工具来衡量水合状态和区分那些处于危险之中。 目前的水化评估方法和标准，如口渴，皮肤肿胀，血压，脉搏，尿量和比重，MRI，稀释方法和生物阻抗的可靠性和有效性是有限的，并且这些方法是不准确的或昂贵的。 鉴于脱水是可预防的和可逆的，因此需要一种易于执行的检测水失衡的方法具有最大的临床重要性。该项目的目标是开发一种廉价且易于使用的设备，用于监测水合状态的变化，并预测那些在家和机构化老年人的风险。我们建议开发水合监测仪（HM），可以客观地量化体内水分含量和水合状态的变化。 在该装置中实施的方法基于实验事实，即通过软组织的超声速度是组织含水量的线性函数。由于肌肉提供了最大的身体水库的水，水不平衡的评估是通过测量速度的超声波在肌肉。 初步研究证实了水合监测仪的可行性，这是一种基于Artann实验室开发的专有超声波技术的紧凑型手持设备。第一阶段SBIR项目的目标包括：（1）设计和制造HM原型，测试HM原型在水作为测试介质中测量超声速度的能力，精度优于1 m/s;（B）在组织模型和离体动物组织上测试和验证HM原型，证明HM原型对含水量变化的灵敏度优于2%;以及（3）设计HM原型并为临床研究项目的第二阶段中构建HM原型准备文档。 公共卫生相关性：目前，没有有效的工具来衡量身体脱水，这是一个常见的原因，发病率和死亡率的老年人。我们建议开发一种紧凑的手持式水合监测仪，可以客观地量化体内水分含量的变化，并评估水合状态。该设备基于Artann实验室开发的专利超声波技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dehydration is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Identifying at risk individuals and maintaining adequate fluid balance is an essential component of health care in the aging population. Currently, there is no effective tool available to measure hydration status and distinguish those at risk. The reliability and validity of current hydration assessment methods and criteria such as thirst, skin turgor, blood pressure, pulse, urine output and specific gravity, MRI, dilution methods and bioimpedance, are limited, and the methods are inaccurate or expensive. Given that dehydration is both preventable and reversible, the need for an easy- to-perform method for the detection of water imbalance is of the utmost clinical importance. The goal of this project is to develop an inexpensive and easy-to-use device that monitors changes in hydration status and predict those at risk in home-bound and institutionalized elderly. We propose to develop the Hydration Monitor (HM) that can objectively quantify changes in the body water content and hydration status. The method implemented in the device is based on the experimental fact that ultrasound velocity through soft tissue is a linear function of the tissue water content. Because muscle provides the largest body reservoir for water, the assessment of water imbalance is conducted by measuring speed of ultrasound in muscle. Preliminary studies confirmed feasibility of Hydration Monitor, a compact hand-held device based on a proprietary ultrasonic technology developed in Artann Laboratories. The aims of this Phase I SBIR project include (1) designing and manufacturing of HM prototype, which will be tested for its ability of measuring ultrasound velocity in water as test medium with accuracy better than 1 m/s; (b) testing and validating HM prototype on tissue phantoms and excised animal tissues, demonstrating the sensitivity to water content changes should be better than 2%; and (3) designing the HM ¿-prototype and preparing documentation for building the HM ¿-prototype in Phase II of the project for clinical studies. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Currently, there is no effective tool available to measure body dehydration, which is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. We propose to develop a compact hand-held Hydration Monitor that can objectively quantify changes in the body water content and assess hydration status. The device is based on a proprietary patented ultrasonic technology developed in Artann Laboratories.