Cardiovascular Monitoring

About

Summary Almost one third of all deaths globally are from cardiovascular and stroke related diseases. Heart valve diseases contribute to a significant portion of those deaths and affect a greater population with associated life-altering complications. There are approximately 300,000 heart valve replacement surgeries each year worldwide and it is anticipated that the number of patients requiring valve replacement worldwide will triple by 2050. The two main types of artificial heart valves, bio-prosthetic and mechanical, are vulnerable to a variety of problems. Bio-prosthetic heart valves are susceptible to calcification, whereas mechanical heart valves are susceptible to thrombosis. Both of these phenomena increase the rate of prosthetic heart valve failure and pose serious health risks to the patient.   UC Berkeley researchers developed an accurate monitoring system that in real-time provides diagnostics of a prosthetic heart valve performance and overall cardiovascular health of the patient. The device will not require additional surgery to be put in place, as it is part of the prosthetic being implanted. The key innovations hinge on the system being entirely passive, wireless, precise, and intuitive in design. Due to the non-invasive nature of the measurements, both patients and physicians can be put at ease as it will reduce the risk to patients and decrease physician liability.