An app using artificial intelligence could be “revolutionary” for patients with chronic lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis.
Experts claim the technology is able to predict when a patient will fall ill up to 10 days in advance.
It is hoped Breathe RM will let patients with CF be monitored remotely, removing the need for regular checks in clinics.
The technology can also predict when patients are likely to get a major infection that can lead to weeks in hospital.
It is being trialled at Royal Papworth Hospital with support from medical research charity LifeArc and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Some 50 patients are involved in the year-long project, known as ACE-CF, with researchers hoping to recruit 400.
Breathe RM has been designed like a “to-do list”, collecting data that users should input daily.
Lung function is measured through a handheld device called a spirometer while oxygen in the blood is measured using a peg oximeter on a patient’s finger. Both are connected to the app via Bluetooth and data is inputted automatically.
The technology also collects data from the likes of smartwatches.
Professor Andres Floto of the University of Cambridge and a research director at the Royal Papworth, created the AI algorithm used in the app. He said: “We are pretty good at predicting when someone’s going to become ill about 10 days earlier than normal. It’s a traffic light system. This philosophy is about empowering people with CF to control their health.”
ACE-CF also involves Magic Bullet, a company set up by husband-and-wife team Kirsty Hill, 47, and David Hill, 54, of Reading, who started looking for CF solutions after son George, now 19, was diagnosed as a baby.
