Project Clients
We will be working with Dr. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu, a Professor of Fashion Design in the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. She has collaborated with medical scientists at Oklahoma State on sleep apnea research that included the use of ECG recordings. Her current research focuses on conductive textiles, and she is the head of a medical-grade, wearable ECG shirt project.
Additionally, we will be working with Dr. Roger Chamberlain, a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Chamberlain’s research mainly focuses on data analysis and computer architecture, but he has also collaborated with Dr. Ruppert-Stroescu on her conductive fabrics research in the past.
Population
Heart monitors are most commonly used by cardiac patients. If a patient is experiencing symptoms associated with cardiac disease such as chest pain, dizziness, or chest flutters, their doctor may use a heart monitor to check for the presence of pathologies such as cardiac arrhythmias (“Holter Monitor”, Johns Hopkins). Heart monitors are also used to assess the effectiveness of heart disease treatments such as pacemakers1. Additionally, nocturnal polysomnographies (sleep studies) utilize ECG’s as a factor in diagnosing sleep apnea (“Sleep Apnea”). As such, the populations for this product are cardiac patients and patients being screened for sleep apnea.
Market
The heart monitor industry was valued at 23 billion USD in 2020 and is expected to increase as cardiac disease prevalence rises2. In 2010, the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in the U.S. was 1.2 million cases, and is expected to be 2.6 million by 2030. Similarly, AFib prevalence was 5.2 million in 2010, and is expected to be 12.1 million by 20303. Additionally, as of April of 2022, 6 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with sleep apnea4. Since cardiac and sleep apnea patients constitute this product’s population, the market size is expected to be between 11.2 and 18.1 million people.
Environment
The heart monitor shirt will be used outside of clinical settings in order to collect ECG records for multiple days without disrupting the daily activities of the patient. The shirt will be worn as the patient moves throughout their day with common locations being patients’ residences, places of occupation, and locations of general public access. The shirt will remain in contact with the patient’s skin throughout the day, and will be washed upon removal in a standard washing machine and dryer.
References
1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/holter-monitor#:~:text=Some%20reasons%20for%20your%20healthcare,of%20breath%2C%20dizziness%2C%20or%20fainting
2. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/07/11/2477584/0/en/The-market-for-Cardiac-Arrhythmia-Monitoring-Devices-will-achieve-a-market-value-of-USD-35-41-billion-by-2030.html
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23831166/
4. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-sleep-apnea#:~:text=About%2030%20million%20people%20in,are%20diagnosed%20with%20the%20condition