Wearable Technologies and AI at the Far Edge for Chronic Heart Failure Prevention and Management: A Systematic Review and Prospects

Sensors (Basel). 2023 Aug 3;23(15):6896. doi: 10.3390/s23156896.

Abstract

Smart wearable devices enable personalized at-home healthcare by unobtrusively collecting patient health data and facilitating the development of intelligent platforms to support patient care and management. The accurate analysis of data obtained from wearable devices is crucial for interpreting and contextualizing health data and facilitating the reliable diagnosis and management of critical and chronic diseases. The combination of edge computing and artificial intelligence has provided real-time, time-critical, and privacy-preserving data analysis solutions. However, based on the envisioned service, evaluating the additive value of edge intelligence to the overall architecture is essential before implementation. This article aims to comprehensively analyze the current state of the art on smart health infrastructures implementing wearable and AI technologies at the far edge to support patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). In particular, we highlight the contribution of edge intelligence in supporting the integration of wearable devices into IoT-aware technology infrastructures that provide services for patient diagnosis and management. We also offer an in-depth analysis of open challenges and provide potential solutions to facilitate the integration of wearable devices with edge AI solutions to provide innovative technological infrastructures and interactive services for patients and doctors.

Keywords: IoT; cardiovascular diseases; chronic heart failure; edge AI; health digital twin; internet of medical things; internet of wearable things; on-device AI systematic literature review; personalized health; smart health infrastructures; wearables.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Awareness
  • Chronic Disease
  • Heart Failure* / diagnosis
  • Heart Failure* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*

Grants and funding

This study was partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, Italian Health Operational Plan (Cohesion and Development Fund 2014-2020), trajectory 2 “eHealth, advanced diagnostics, medical device and mini invasiveness”, under the project title: “Sistema di Monitoraggio ed Analisi basato su intelligenza aRTificiale per pazienti affetti da scompenso CARdiaco cronico con dispositivi medici miniinvasivi e indossabili Evoluti-SMART CARE”. Additionaly, it was partially funded by the “MUR, Ministero dell`Universita e della Ricerca” Ministerial Decree n. 737 dated 25 June 2021 “Criteri di riparto e utilizzazione del Fondo per la promozione e lo sviluppo delle politiche del Programma Nazionale per la Ricerca (PNR)” under the project title: “IDAS-Innovazione Digitale in Ambito Salute”-CUP: F84D22000270001.