Subproject D05

Subproject D05

Empatho-Kinaesthetic Assessment and Pattern Recognition of Movement as Biomarkers for Health Status, Wellbeing, and Prognosis of Palliative Patients

The aim of D05 is: (1) to identify symptom burden, health status, and lifetime prognosis by means of innovative and touch-free technology; (2) to analyse pathophysiological changes in the final phase of life via movement-based biomarkers; and (3) to explore social and ethical implications of (1) and (2). For the first time in medical science, we were able to record touch-free by radar vital parameters continuously and record their changes throughout the occurrence and amelioration of symptoms as well as during the last phase of life and dying. Recording of both heart beat and breathing was comparable to recordings by Gold- standard methods in terms of accuracy and robustness. Specific changes of aforementioned vital parameters were recorded in correlation with symptoms, their severity and trajectory. Additionally, we succeeded in recording and classifying daily activities and movement disorders in healthy test subjects using a prototype of the A01 3D Body Imaging Camera. In PC patients, we focus on neuromuscular changes and how they reflect health status and symptoms. We plan to investigate features of larger movement, such as frequency, amplitude, velocity via the A01 camera and A03 EmpkinS Beacons as well as those of microscopic movements due to the heart’s or respiratory function. Furthermore, we will investigate the fusion of data regarding cardio-vascular and respiratory function as well as neuro-muscular coordination to identify, quantify, and classify symptoms and predict life time prognosis.
Our vision is to offer clinicians a non-invasive, objective tool to assess symptoms and monitor health in real time, even in non-communicative patients. Ethical and societal aspects will be examined longitudinally and formatively with E01.

 

                                                                                                                     

Contacts

Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Ostgathe

Principal Investigator

Marie Oesten, M. Sc.

Doctoral Candidate

Stefan Grießhammer, M.Sc

Physician

Dr. Maria Heckel, Leitung Forschung

Postdoc

Dr. med. Tobias Steigleder

Senior Physician

 

Additional Information

  • Oesten M., Abel L., Albrecht N.C., Richer R., Langer D., Griesshammer S.G., Ghanem K., Steigleder T., Ostgathe C., Koelpin A., Eskofier B.M.:
    Systematic Investigation of Heart Sound Propagation Using Continuous Wave Radar.
    IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, pp. 1-11, 2025, doi: 10.1109/JBHI.2025.3530821.
  • Tran T.T., Yip J., Oesten M., Griesshammer S.G., Albrecht N.C., Heckel M., Eskofier B.M., Koelpin A. , Ostgathe C., Steigleder T.:
    Vital Insights: How Radar-Based Monitoring Can Enhance Symptom Management in Palliative Care.
    medRxiv (2025): 2025-04. DOI: 10.1101/2025.04.02.25325074.
  • Grießhammer S., Malessa A., Lu H., Yip J., Leuschner J., Christgau F., Albrecht NC., Oesten M., Tran TT., Richer R., Heckel M., Eskofier B., Kölpin A., Steigleder T., Ostgathe C.:
    Contactless radar-based heart rate estimation in palliative care – a feasibility study and possible use in symptom management.
    BMC Palliative Care 23 (2024), Art.Nr.: 273. ISSN: 1472-684X. DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01592-3
  • Mejdani D., Bräunig J., Grießhammer S., Krauß D., Steigleder T., Engel L., Jukic J., Rozhdestvenskaya A., Winkler J., Eskofier B., Ostgathe C., Vossiek M.:
    Radar-Based Tremor Quantification Using Deep Learning for Improved Parkinson’s and Palliative Care Assessment.
    In: IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems 2 (2024), S. 1174-1185. ISSN: 2832-7357. DOI: 10.1109/TRS.2024.3494473
  • Bräunig J., Mejdani D., Krauß D., Grießhammer S., Richer R., Schüßler C., Yip J., Steigleder T., Ostgathe C., Eskofier B., Vossiek M.:
    Radar-based Recognition of Activities of Daily Living in the Palliative Care Context Using Deep Learning.
    IEEE EMBS International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics (BHI) (Pittsburgh, 15 Oktober 2023 – 18 Oktober 2023). DOI: 10.1109/BHI58575.2023.10313506
  • Lu H., Wenzel M., Steigleder T., Klinger I., Ostgathe C., Koelpin A.:
    Contactless In-Bed Movement in Various Scales Classification with CW Radar.
    20th European Radar Conference, EuRAD 2023 (Berlin, 20 September 2023 – 22 September 2023). DOI: 10.23919/EuRAD58043.2023.10289241
  • Ott T., Heckel M., Öhl N., Steigleder T., Albrecht N., Ostgathe C., Dabrock P.:
    Palliative Care and new technologies. The use of smart sensor technologies and its impact on the Total Care principle.
    BMC Palliative Care (2023). ISSN: 1472-684X. DOI: 10.1186/s12904-023-01174-9
  • Öhl N., Ostgathe C., Steigleder T., Klinger I., Weisser A., Heckel M.:
    Social Implications of Technology Applications in Palliative Care – Development of a Conceptual Framework.
    World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care (Rotterdam, 15 Juni 2023 – 17 Juni 2023)
  • Lu H., Yip J., Steigleder T., Grießhammer S., Heckel M., Jami NVSJ., Eskofier B., Ostgathe C., Kölpin A.:
    A Lightweight Robust Approach for Automatic Heart Murmurs and Clinical Outcomes Classification from Phonocardiogram Recordings.
    Computing in Cardiology (CinC) (Tampere, 4 September 2022 – 7 September 2022). DOI: 10.22489/CinC.2022.165
  • Steigleder T.:
    Is there a role for technology in palliative care?
    World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care (online, 18 Mai 2022 – 20 Mai 2022)
  • Steigleder T.:
    Radar-basiertes Monitoring von Vitalparametern in der Palliativmedizin.
    Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurologie (Berlin, 1 November 2022 – 5 November 2022)
  • Steigleder T.:
    Vitalparameter bei Sterbenden.
    Deutscher Krebskongress (Berlin, 16 November 2022 – 16 November 2022)
  • Yip J., Steigleder T., Heckel M., Eskofier B., Ostgathe C.:
    Die Beschreibung des Gesundheitszustandes anhand von Veränderungen in Bewegungsmustern von Palliativpatient:innen – Eine explorative Erfassung.
    Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Palliativmedizin (Bremen, 28 September 2022 – 1 Oktober 2022). Zeitschrift für Palliativmedizin 2022. DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1754065