Manchester University NHS FT and The Christie NHS FT have launched a trial of artificial intelligence (AI) wireless monitoring technology hoped to lead to quicker interventions for patients with COVID-19.
The pilot study named ‘COSMIC-19’ (COntinious Signs Monitoring In Covid-19 patients) aims to recruit 60 patients who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19.
The aim of the study is to identify in advance patients who will deteriorate, and predict those who will need intensive care treatment. Patients in the study will be monitored for 20 days until either discharged or placed on a ventilator.
The researcher team are using a monitoring platform, developed by Isansys Lifecare, that uses wearable sensors to automatically collect and analyse each patient’s vital signs such as pulse rate, temperature, breathing and oxygen levels in real time.
It will use AI to look for patterns in the patients’ vital signs that could alert the medical team if the patient is deteriorating. If the data indicates that the patient needs critical care, the medical team can intervene.
The COSMIC trial, led by Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite, medical oncologist at The Christie, said: “Unfortunately some patients who are suffering from COVID-19 on our hospital wards can become seriously unwell. By using this system, we hope to be able to identify these patients early and this may mean we can optimise their management without the need for them to go to intensive care.”
“We can also monitor the patients’ vital signs on a screen located in a different part of the hospital, and we hope that eventually this will mean that as well as keeping our patients safe, we can reduce exposure to the virus for our staff.”
The study is funded by UKRI’s industrial strategy challenge fund and The Christie charity.
