Phaedra-impact

Clinical staff in hospital wards traditionally collect vital signs periodically to assess a patient's cardiorespiratory status, often with intervals of 6 to 10 hours. This method, known as spot-checking, has limitations due to its infrequent nature and dependence on contact sensors, which can be uncomfortable for patients, particularly during sleep. The Focus Recent advancements demonstrate that vital signs like heart rate, respiration rate, blood oxygen saturation, and temperature can be monitored remotely using camera-based methods, which are less invasive compared to contact sensors. This innovation could significantly enhance patient comfort by enabling continuous monitoring without the need for frequent interventions by clinical staff. Continuous monitoring also allows for trend analysis of vital signs, offering a comprehensive assessment of a patient's cardiorespiratory condition. Additionally, camera-based methods enable video context analysis, such as detecting patient movements or identifying pain through facial expression analysis. This project explores the use of continuous video monitoring as an unobtrusive method to predict and monitor patient deterioration or adverse events. The Research Initially, the feasibility and reliability of camera-based continuous monitoring will be evaluated using data from consenting patients in the ICU at Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven and healthy volunteers. Subsequently, robust technologies will be developed to automatically detect signs of patient deterioration by generating automated early warning scores based on measured vital signs. Throughout the project, feedback from clinical staff and patient experiences will inform the design and implementation of camera-based technologies and early warning systems. Origin This project is funded within the Innovative Medical Devices Initiative (IMDI) program 'Heart for Sustainable Care'. The focus of this program is the development of medical technology for the earlier detection, monitoring, and better treatment of cardiovascular diseases to ensure accessible healthcare and sufficient staffing. The program has been developed en funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation, ZonMw and NWO, who collaborate within the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance.

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (‘FH’) is the most prevalent genetic cause of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). FH has an estimated prevalence of 1:300 in the general population in the Netherlands. FH is characterized by lifelong elevation of LDL cholesterol, resulting in a profoundly increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and premature death. Early identification of FH and intensive LDL cholesterol management are essential to minimize the lifetime cumulative cholesterol burden and associated risks. FH is inherited. Typically, parents with one pathogenic mutation have a 50% chance of passing down the condition to each child. Therefore, it is essential to screen first degree relatives (children, parents, brothers & sisters) of an individual diagnosed with FH, to detect other family members who may have inherited FH. LEEFH network In the Netherlands we have long track record with FH index identification, cascade screening of first degree relatives and associated research activities. Stichting LEEFH support healthcare professionals pro-actively to pursue cascade screening, aiming to identify FH-patients as early as possible. LEEFH works in a voluntary network with 39 hospitals (LEEFH centres) to optimize FH care and cascade screening. Over the years, an active database has been built up with approximately 7,000 family pedigrees and more than 37,000 FH positive tested patients. Annually, we detect ~ 300 FH+ indexes (new FH families) and 500 FH+ family members by cascade screening. A unique example of early prevention. The Research LEEFH supports research activities in the field of FH detection and treatment with its acquired knowledge, database and network. Recent examples of this include FH identification via central laboratory data, electronic health records and general practitioners. We also participate in research projects with other genetic disorders in order to further improve cascade screening through knowledge sharing (for example in the consortium ‘eCG Family Clinic’ (e-Cardiovascular Genetics Family Clinic). The Orgin The LEEFH network is a voluntary partnership since 2013. 39 hospitals are now affiliated. Each hospital (LEEFH center) has a number of healthcare professionals with a great deal of knowledge and affinity with FH. The LEEFH network aims to prevent (unnecessary) cardiovascular diseases by a) detecting FH family members through cascade screening and b) creating more awareness about FH. We do a lot of knowledge sharing about FH, both among ourselves and also through regional meetings with families and general practitioners. We have signed network agreements with ‘who’ does ‘what’ and ‘when’ in the cascade screening . The aim is to inform and support each family in the right way in the cascade screening. The DNA diagnostics are carried out by the Amsterdam UMC. Application forms and test packages are available via Stichting LEEFH.