# Wearable Sensor for Real-Time Continuous Monitoring of Hydration Status in Older Adults with Heart Failure

> **NIH NIH R43** · HYDROSTASIS, INC. · 2020 · $224,869

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY—Hydrostasis, Inc. has developed a wearable hydration monitoring system that provides
real-time tracking of total body water (TBW) status and provides alerts to users and remote monitors to ensure
timely intervention when hydration deviates from an optimal range. This technology developed for healthy
athletes has the potential to transform how millions of older adults with heart failure (HF) and their physicians
monitor and respond to fluctuations in TBW. However, adapting the technology for use in this population may
require a) tailoring the hydration detection algorithm to accommodate differences related to patient age and
disease status and b) tailoring the alert system to meet the needs of older adults and their healthcare providers.
If successfully adapted, this technology could 1) improve patient-centered control of hydration status, 2)
reduce physician burden for disease management, 3) reduce cost / burden of inadequate medication
management and hospitalization rates associated with weight-based hydration monitoring, and 4)
improve patient outcomes and quality of life. For many patients, fluid retention (congestion) is a pronounced
symptom of the underlying cardiac insufficiency, and the presence of excess fluid uniformly signals a problem
that must be addressed to avoid costly hospitalizations and increased risk of near-term mortality associated with
decompensation. Proper management requires frequent monitoring of TBW status and intervention in response
to fluid accumulation, but the current standard is daily weight monitoring, which has only 9% sensitivity to detect
clinically relevant changes. The wearable Hydrostasis sensor uses diffuse near-infrared spectroscopy to assess
hydration in tissue up to 2 cm below the skin. The proposed SBIR Phase I project is a step toward adapting this
technology to provide continuous at-home monitoring plus threshold-based alerts for patients and physicians.
Aim 1. Adapt the Hydrostasis monitoring system for use in older adults. Tasks: 1) Assess performance of
the current algorithm over one week in 30 older adults. 2) Refine the algorithm. 2) Assess how the refined
algorithm’s personalized hydration index (PHI) compares to urine specific gravity in older adults. Milestones: 1)
Enroll 15 males, 15 females age 65 +; 2) obtain ≥ 4 hours of data per day for 7 days on ≥ 80% of participants; 3)
obtain 3-day use test data on ≥ 80% of participants; 4) PHI sensitive to ≥ 2% change in TBW. Aim 2. Adapt the
Hydrostasis alert system to provide alerts tailored for older adult users and physicians. Tasks: 1)
Convene patient & physician focus groups to identify user preferences for monitoring platforms/alerts, 2) Adapt
platforms to accommodate preferences and deliver alerts when hydration status reaches clinically actionable
thresholds. Milestones: 1) Enroll 10 males, 10 females age 65+ with HF; 2) Enroll 6 male, 6 female cardiologists;
3) Develop spec lists of prioritized user preferences for app and p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9950768
- **Project number:** 1R43HL151546-01
- **Recipient organization:** HYDROSTASIS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Debbie Chen
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $224,869
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9950768

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9950768, Wearable Sensor for Real-Time Continuous Monitoring of Hydration Status in Older Adults with Heart Failure (1R43HL151546-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9950768. Licensed CC0.

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