Contact persons

• Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. med. Dr. h. c. Steffen Leonhardt

Project description

Hemodialysis treatment offers patients with chronic kidney failure the possibility of leading an almost normal life. However, overhydration states, long-term hypertension and hypotensive episodes during dialysis are currently known problems of the therapy reducing the patients’ quality of life. Once physicians know the hydration state of a patient during treatment, the above mentioned problems can be avoided, improving the therapy. A future automatization of this concept would imply a hydration monitoring system that is able to advise or control the speed and the amount of fluid (ultrafiltration) to be removed during the dialysis treatment. Current commercial solutions just offer the evaluation of the body hydration state before the treatment.

Project goals

The goal of the project is to implement an expert system for continuous monitoring of body hydration during the dialysis treatment. The system is based on Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy (BIS) and ECG measurement, a physiological model, and external sensors (temperature, body position…) integrated into textiles. It will offer immediate observation and registration of several physiological parameters, playing an important role for the determination of body hydration, as well as the incidence of hypertensive episodes.

A retrospective analysis of possible correlation between the incidence of hypotensive episodes and the registered hydration parameters using the measured values as well as the physiological modelling will be used to propose algorithms for the prediction of hypotensive episodes.

Project partner

• Department of Medical Clinic II - Nephrology and Immunology, University Hospital Aachen