Portable device for monitoring water balance in elderly

描述(申请人提供)：脱水是老年人发病和死亡的常见原因。识别高危个体并保持足够的液体平衡是老龄化人口卫生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并区分哪些人处于危险之中。目前的水分评估方法和标准，如口渴、皮肤肿胀、血压、脉搏、尿量和比重、MRI、稀释法和生物阻抗，其可靠性和有效性有限，方法不准确或昂贵。鉴于脱水既是可预防的，又是可逆的，因此需要一种易于执行的方法来检测水分失衡，这在临床上具有极其重要的意义。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，并预测居家和住院老年人中的风险人群。我们建议开发水合监测仪(HM)，它可以客观地量化身体水分含量和水合状态的变化。在该装置中实现的方法是基于这样的实验事实，即通过软组织的超声波速度是组织水分含量的线性函数。因为肌肉为身体提供了最大的水分蓄水池，所以通过测量肌肉中超声波的速度来评估水分失衡。初步研究证实了水合监测器的可行性，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。本项目第一期SBIR项目的目标包括(1)设计和制造HM原型，将测试其作为测试介质测量水中超声波速度的能力，精度优于1米/S；(B)在组织模体和切除的动物组织上测试和验证HM原型，证明其对水分变化的敏感度应优于2%；以及(3)设计HM原型，并为在项目第二阶段建造HM原型用于临床研究准备文件。 公共卫生相关性：目前，没有有效的工具来测量身体脱水，这是老年人发病率和死亡率的常见原因。我们建议开发一种紧凑型手持水合监测仪，它可以客观地量化身体水分含量的变化，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.