Empatho-Kinaesthetic Assessment and Pattern Recognition of Movement as Biomarkers for Health Status, Wellbeing, and Prognosis of Palliative Patients
The aim of PallMet as part of the CRC 1483 consortium EmpkinS (è LINK: https://www.empkins.de/) in subproject D05 (è LINK: https://www.empkins.de/research/sub-projects/d05/) is: (1) to identify symptom burden, health status, and lifetime prognosis by means of innovative and touch-free technology; (2) to analyse pathophysiological changes in the final phase of life via movement-based biomarkers; and (3) to explore social and ethical implications of (1) and (2). For the first time in medical science, we were able to record vital parameters touch-free and continuously utilizing an interferometric radar-system from EmpkinS subproject A04 (è LINK: https://www.empkins.de/research/sub-projects/subproject-a04/). We recorded their changes throughout the occurrence and amelioration of symptoms as well as during the last phase of life and dying. Recording of both heart beat and breathing was comparable to recordings by Gold- standard methods in terms of accuracy and robustness. Specific changes of aforementioned vital parameters were recorded in correlation with symptoms, their severity and trajectory. Additionally, we succeeded in recording and classifying daily activities and movement disorders in healthy test subjects using a prototype of a 3D Body Imaging Camera by EmpkinS subproject A01 (è LINK: https://www.empkins.de/research/sub-projects/subproject-a01/). In PC patients, we focus on neuromuscular changes and how they reflect health status and symptoms. We plan to investigate features of larger movement, such as frequency, amplitude, velocity via the 3D Body Imaging Camera and localizable Beacons from EmpkinS subproject A03 (è LINK: (https://www.empkins.de/research/sub-projects/suproject-a03/) as well as those of microscopic movements due to the heart’s or respiratory function. Furthermore, we will investigate the fusion of data regarding cardio-vascular and respiratory function as well as neuro-muscular coordination to identify, quantify, and classify symptoms and predict life time prognosis.
Our vision is to offer clinicians a non-invasive, objective tool to assess symptoms and monitor health in real time, even in non-communicative patients. Ethical and societal aspects will be examined longitudinally and formatively with EmpkinS subproject E01 (è LINK: https://www.empkins.de/research/sub-projects/subproject-e/) .
