The Danish Cancer Society has supported a project on the development of continuous non-invasive monitoring for early detection and prevention of serious morbidity and mortality after abdominal cancer-surgery with 2.1 mio. DKK.
Major elective cancer surgery in the abdomen is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality risk despite optimized anesthesia and surgical techniques. This high morbidity and mortality is in discrepancy with the fact that these procedures are performed with a curative or life-prolonging aim.
As part of the recent national fundraising campaign "Knæk Cancer" (2016), the Danish Cancer Society has decided to support the development of a system for early detection of severe complications after cancer surgery. Using spectral analysis of a wide range of continuously measured physiological parameters, the project seeks to develop an algorithm for prediction of severe postoperative complications after abdominal cancer surgery and define a set of criteria for intervention against severe postoperative events. Hence, the aim is to achieve continuous patient surveillance with a ’wear and forget’ device, for early intervention to prevent the development of a number of postoperative complications, with reduced morbidity, mortality and health care costs, increasing overall survival after cancer treatment.
The project is lead by the Biomedical Engineering Group at the Technical University of Denmark and involved the University Hospital of Copenhagen at 'Rigshospitalet' and 'Bispebjerg Hospital'.