10042881Temporary Pacing Safety Monitor - Caseworks and User InterfaceClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UKMany people are unaware that after open-heart surgery, patients often experience rhythm disturbances during recovery which can lead to serious complications. Cardiac surgical patients are therefore normally fitted with a temporary pacing system after their procedure to ensure a near-normal rhythm is maintained. Unlike permanent (implanted) pacing systems, temporary pacemakers sit externally at the patient's bedside and are connected to the heart with wires that pass through the chest. The contact of these wires with the heart can often degenerate from scar tissue formation or the patient's own movement; for example, when coughing. At present, temporary pacemakers are relatively unsophisticated and are unable to detect changes in the patient's parameters. They rely on periodic checks, where dangerous changes can go unnoticed for hours. The associated issues and mis-identification of cause can lead to overcompensation with medication that has unpleasant side-effects and is associated with an extended recovery period. In the most extreme circumstances, inappropriate programming of the temporary pacemaker can lead the device to cause cardiac arrest. The FDA holds a database (MAUDE) on reported safety issues, where around 1,500 dangerous incidents related to temporary pacing are recorded yearly in the US alone, and this is potentially just the tip of the iceberg - since identifying the temporary pacemaker as the problem relies on expertise present at the time. Cardiac Tech have polled over 100 cardiologists, cardiac physiologists and nurses in the U.K. and 75% either agree or strongly agree that there are serious safety issues in temporary pacing. To overcome these issues, Cardiac Tech is developing a unique temporary pacing safety device that will monitor the pacemaker and patient's electrical signals and timings. The device uses sophisticated software to instantly alert medical staff to dangerous changes in pacing function in order to make sure that patients get the best treatment and the correct medication and can be discharged sooner. The device will reduce the opportunity for human error and ensure that patients in post-cardiac surgical care experience a safe and stable period of recovery. Cardiac Tech have built a fully functioning prototype of their device that proves the technology works. In this project, the company plans to work with an award winning design consultancy to develop a bespoke ergonomic casing and intuitive user interface that will allow surgeons, doctors and nursing staff to easily fit the device to current pacemakers and monitor their patients 24/7 in the clinical environment.