The EU-funded AIR CARDIO project has developed a digital platform that helps doctors in Tuscany, Italy, remotely monitor the health of children suffering from congenital heart disease. This is helping to relieve the pressure on hospitals and improve communication between patients, caregivers and doctors.
- 19 February 2021
Babies and toddlers born with congenital heart disease often need medical care and lifelong monitoring, even after successful surgery. The AIR CARDIO device is able to transmit vital signs from patients to medical services, no matter how far away they are. It is an invaluable tool in our mission to improve the quality of life of these patients.
The platform helps close the gap between specialist healthcare services, which are often in more densely populated areas, and patients in remote areas. It improves both the capability and capacity of physicians and makes it easier for parents to take care of their children at home.
By optimising the timing of outpatient visits and hospitalisations through its platform, the project is contributing to the digital transformation of health and medical care.
Better communication
The platform features an e-Health Advanced Care Centre (e-HACC) that collects and processes incoming data.
A biomedical sensor, which patients wear on their chest in the form of a patch, transmits their vital signs via Bluetooth. The sensor has an integrated electrocardiogram function, which can detect an irregular heartbeat for several minutes. Received data is synchronised with the e-HACC, so that doctors can evaluate the patient’s condition.
In case of technical or medical problems, an automatic alarm signal notifies doctors and caregivers and brings them in direct communication.
An integrated decision support system indicates which examinations and diagnostic procedures doctors could consider, based on the patient’s clinical condition. It issues advice and alerts on potential interactions between medications, dosages and allergies, based on the patient’s history. In addition, it measures whether patients are at risk of any side-effects.
Potential for the future
Congenital heart disease is among the most common birth defects and has various degrees of severity. Affected patients often require lifelong specialised care, involving numerous hospitalisations and outpatient visits, which makes AIR CARDIO all the more relevant for patients living in rural and mountainous areas of Tuscany.
Although originally designed to monitor paediatric patients with congenital cardiopathy, the platform can be easily extended to other kinds of chronic diseases, where constant and remote monitoring is appropriate. Patients with diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes, which are among the more frequently occurring in Tuscany, could potentially benefit from a monitoring platform such as AIR CARDIO.
Keeping patients safe
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has proven the importance and relevancy of an advanced remote telemonitoring system for the healthcare sector in general. Hospitals exceeding their maximum capacity, risk becoming places that spread infections, putting chronic and fragile patients at greater risk.
The AIR CARDIO platform diminishes this risk, by reducing the number of trips to the hospital and allowing patients to remain in the safety of their home.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “AIR CARDIO” is EUR 3 022 213, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 1 121 588 through the “ROP Toscana ERDF” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Enhance and promote research, technological development and innovation”.