Early-career research(J-PEAKS)

The aim of this study is to develop a system for accurate evaluation of skeletal muscle and body composition in patients with heart failure, whose applicability and accuracy have been limited until now, and ultimately to utilize it in home care settings where medical resources are limited. Abnormalities in the quantity and quality of skeletal muscle in patients with heart failure have been revealed as a factor for worsening prognosis. They can be improved with early detection and intervention. Therefore, accurate evaluation of skeletal muscle abnormalities is expected to contribute to avoiding re-hospitalization, improving quality of life (QOL), and improving prognosis. In addition, the currently recommended available evaluation methods are expensive, only a limited number of facilities can use them, and the measurements may be affected by edema, a characteristic of heart failure, making quantitative evaluation difficult, especially in home care settings.

The evaluation of the limbs using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) developed by researchers from the Graduate School of Engineering, who are key members of our research group (Ogawa et al., 2022), is a technology that can visualize and measure the limbs in a cheap, simple and non-invasive compared to conventional X-rays and CT scans, and has the potential to solve various problems that have been previously problematic, such as the limited number of facilities, the impact of edema on measurements, and the inability to use for patients with pacemakers. In addition, comprehensive and patient-centered support based on multi-disciplinary collaboration is essential for early detection and early intervention of worsening heart failure, and it is important to understand and share the characteristics of each profession. In all processes of this research, including the development of measuring equipment, interpretation of measurement contents, and subsequent responses, the fusion of the perspectives of nursing, medicine, rehabilitation, and engineering will lead to the discovery and development of new technical knowledge, which will lead to the establishment of a non-invasive and simple skeletal muscle evaluation method as well as early detection and early intervention of worsening heart failure at home. I believe that this will be significant in providing sustainable health, medical, and welfare services and accelerating research in this field.

Click to enlarge