ShuntWizard

A special vascular access to the forearm (commonly referred to as a shunt) is necessary for hemodialysis, through which the blood is diverted from the body and cleaned by a machine. To maintain the shunt, regular examinations are required, which have so far been conducted in the form of clinical monitoring by medical professionals. Despite this time-consuming examination, costly blockages of the shunt still frequently occur.

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In collaboration with the Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig (SKBS) we are planning the development of a smartphone-based shunt monitoring system, in which audio recordings made with the phone's microphone over the shunt will automatically provide information on (a) pathological flow sounds, (b) possible constrictions, or (c) abnormal flow rates. This will allow patients to directly perform an objective, resource-efficient, and time-saving examination of the shunt, thereby relieving the burden on medical staff, and detecting problems sooner.

Using a smart phone to record shunt activity during the preliminary data analysis