The PhD defence and trial lecture are fully digital and streamed using Zoom. The host of the session will moderate the technicalities while the chair of the defence will moderate the disputation.
Ex auditorio questions: the chair of the defence will invite the audience to ask ex auditorio questions. This can be requested by clicking 'Participants -> Raise hand'.
Trial lecture
"Devices for assessing cardiac function in the hospitalized heart patient - current gold standards and future perspective"
Main research findings
Patients that undergo open-heart surgery are becoming older and more complex, as minimally invasive alternatives are becoming more common. These patients need closer monitoring after surgery as they are more susceptible to complications.
Previous research has used miniaturized accelerometer sensors attached to the heart, measuring its motion pattern, as a new way of monitoring the heart's condition. Such a sensor can be incorporated onto existing devices and can thereby provide continuous monitoring after surgery, adding to the tools available for monitoring complex patients.
Accelerometers have characteristic flaws, such as the inability to separate measured motion from measured gravity. However, new motion sensors that combine accelerometer and gyroscopes are now available. The research presented concerns using these new sensors to improve upon heart motion monitoring techniques; by suggesting a way of compensating for gravity; whether this gravity compensation has an effect on detection of certain heart conditions; and lastly, by suggesting a new way of estimating the ventricular volume.
Based on our findings, we provide suggestions for signal processing methods that may be used in order to improve the use of motion sensors for heart monitoring, and thereby potentially be used to improve the monitoring of patients, reducing mortality and morbidity.
Contact information to Department: Pernille Adine Nordby