A world-first project marrying engineers with intensive care specialists is saving lives and dollars.
University of Otago, Christchurch (UOC) health researchers and University of Canterbury engineers have developed a computer model which charts patients’ specific medical status. This allows clinicians to give patients the most appropriate, personalised care. The project is a culmination of more than a decade of collaboration between the universities, along with Canterbury District Health Board ICU staff.
ICU specialist and UOC Professor Geoff Shaw says three critical factors determine a patient’s requirements in ICU: blood sugar, ventilation and heart rate. The team has developed a model for each condition. So far they have implemented the blood sugar model in Christchurch’s ICU and achieved significant results.
Canterbury University engineer and HRC-funded lead researcher Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase says up to 30 fewer people might die in ICU per year in comparison to previous years when this treatment was not available. Getting people the best care at the best time means fewer deaths, less time spent in hospital and significant savings. The team’s blood sugar model is now being used in a Hungarian ICU.
Professor Chase says, to his knowledge, there is nowhere else in the world where engineering students regularly work on an ICU ward. With the support of a HRC Project grant worth more than $658,000, the team are now setting up a mechanical ventilation study in Christchurch’s ICU.
The results of this study will clearly define for the first time the evolution and time course of respiratory disease in the ICU, and test/prove the ability of engineering model-based methods to optimise mechanical ventilation to improve patient care and outcomes, and reduce costs.
News article courtesy of the University of Otago, Christchurch