It is evident that recovery of cardiac function after cardiac surgery reduces mortality, morbidity, unplanned hospital admissions in addition to improvements in exercise capacity, quality of life and psychological well-being. Improvement in cardiac function (left and right heart function) directly translates into symptomatic and functional recovery and long-term prognosis. However, at present, there is no technology that can provide the precision, resolution, patient comfort and motion tolerance necessary to achieve regular, repeated, long-term monitoring of cardiac function, particularly outside of a hospital environment.

​

The aim of this project is to address these challenges and develop a new-generation, wearable, modular, multimodal imaging and sensing technology, providing effective, regular, long-term monitoring of cardiac function in any environment. We will first use sophisticated high-frequency optoelectronics to develop a new modality of wearable, modular, optical imaging technologies that can achieve ultra-accurate measurements at targeted cardiac regions to acquire absolute quantitative information including blood volume and blood oxygenation. We will then integrate electrophysiological monitoring into the imaging module to acquire complementary spatial, temporal and physiological information. Advanced wearable electronics will be utilised to construct flexible and stretchable connections to the individual imaging modules, so as to form a high-resolution imaging array with high wearability and patient comfort. We will then validate this system using precisely controlled, 3D-printed, tissue-mimicking phantoms and carefully controlled laboratory experiments. In doing so, we aim to demonstrate a new approach to the effective, regular, long-term monitoring of patients for cardiac function rehabilitation after cardiac surgery.