November 3, 2020
Dr. Vilmos Bilicki's team (Department of Software Engineering) has reached its next milestone in the CAPD project, which has successfully launched its clinical trials with patients recently.
Chronic end-stage renal disease leads to death without treatment. Patients can be treated with dialysis or kidney transplantation. Only approximately 20% of patients are suitable for the latter intervention, and even so the number of transplants is far below the number of patients on the waiting list. Patients who are suitable for transplantation also have to wait years for a successful kidney transplant, so in the meantime, they too need dialysis treatment.
There are two types of treatment: one is hemodialysis (HD) - or artificial kidney - the other is abdominal (peritoneal) dialysis or CAPD in technical terms. The former is carried out in the form of outpatient care, while the latter by the patients themselves, in their own homes. The telemedicine system provides an opportunity for the PD assistant to monitor and support the patient not only at the dialysis center but also at home.
In the first step, the patient receives the smart devices needed to operate the telemedicine system: tablet, blood pressure monitor, and smart scale. After receiving training and the hardware, the patient performs the required dialysis solution changes at home. After the solution changes, the patient performs the administration of the treatments, during which they measures their body weight, the weight of the dialysis solution; records the type of solution used and the amount drained. Details of the treatments can be seen in real time by the care team on a dedicated medical interface. The system provides video communication so that the PD assistant can make an immediate intervention if the patient’s condition requires it. The system is also suitable for keeping a medicine diary and a blood pressure diary, as well as for making an appointment.