Post-operative ileus (POI) is defined as “the absence of intestinal peristalsis without mechanical obstruction”. It is a serious condition that can make recovery from surgery a challenge. Today, postoperative problems with peristalsis are diagnosed using a stethoscope by the physician, a procedure that’s frequently not performed often enough. Now a new device developed at UCLA that autonomously listens to gut sounds to evaluate how things are moving down there has been shown to be effective in helping to diagnose post-operative ileus.
The AbStat device is basically a cup with a microphone inside that’s attached to the lower torso. The audio signal from the microphone is sent to a computer that counts intestinal movements and calculates the rate of digestive activity. In a study involving 40 patients, including 8 healthy controls, 7 patients tolerating feeding, and 25 with POI, the system was able to distinguish healthy subject from those with POI with nearly perfect accuracy.
The team behind the AbStat believe the new technology opens up the possibility of having a brand new vital sign, namely the intestinal rate, that clinicians will be able to use in evaluating patients.
“We think what we’ve invented is a way to monitor a new vital sign, one to go along with heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. This new vital sign, intestinal rate, could prove to be important in diagnosing and treating patients,” said Dr. Brennan Spiegel, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, in a statement. “The role of wearable sensors in healthcare has reached mainstream consciousness and has the capacity to transform how we monitor and deliver care.”
Study in Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery: Validation of an Acoustic Gastrointestinal Surveillance Biosensor for Postoperative Ileus…
UCLA press release: To eat or not to eat…