PreVent

About

The PreVent project aims to optimize intensive care ventilation using non-invasive surface electromyography (sEMG). To this end, a system is being developed that evaluates the respiratory effort and patient-ventilator interaction of ventilator-assisted patients at the bedside and in real time in order to improve therapy monitoring and thus open up new possibilities for continuous ventilation adjustment.

Opportunity

Intensive care ventilation is a vital therapeutic measure to take over or support ventilation, to maintain gas exchange in the lungs and thus not least to promote the healing process of critically ill patients. Due to the numerous and potentially life-threatening consequences of inadequate ventilation, the patient-specific adaptation of ventilation represents a central challenge in the intensive care unit, which is further exacerbated by the acute shortage of nursing staff. A method for effectively assessing the patient's own respiratory effort is essential for improving ventilation therapy.

Solution/Product description

The PreVent project is developing a method to evaluate the patient's own respiratory effort as well as the patient-ventilator interaction by means of surface electromyography (sEMG) and thus to detect possible overexertion of the patient or asynchronies between the patient's own breathing and the ventilator at the bedside and in real time. In addition to continuous therapy monitoring, sEMG offers the possibility of individual and continuous optimization of ventilation therapy for effective and gentle ventilation.

Why Us

Assisted ventilation has been an active research topic at Fraunhofer IMTE for many years. In national and international cooperation, the topic of sEMG-based ventilation therapy in particular has been driven forward for years. Thanks to our work with hospitals such as the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) and Charité Berlin, we have an excellent network.