A bioelectrical impedance analysis device for improved management of congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic disease that is difficult to manage with today's home health technology. These fragile patients are often over or under diuresed due to the subjective nature of the symptoms and often misleading nature of the weight data available. The work presented here demonstrates that the ratio of extracellular water (ECW) to fat free mass (FFM) derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a more objective measure of fluid overload than traditional techniques. In particular, the results of an observational study are presented that show ECW/FFM to be superior to weight at predicting CHF related clinical signs of fluid overload. The practicality of applying this research to clinical medicine is demonstrated by the development of a new BIA telemedicine device. This non-invasive, inexpensive technology can easily be integrated into modern care management programs.