February 10, 2025
Innovator Feature: KidsHeart
Video Transcript:
KidsHeart is a mobile health application that is transforming how high-risk infants with congenital heart disease are monitored and cared for at home, allowing caregivers to track vital health data such as oxygen saturation, heart rate, and weight during the critical interstage period between their first and second heart surgeries.
The app data is automatically shared with the patient’s healthcare team. This continuous monitoring has led to earlier interventions and an impressive 55% reduction in emergency room visits in this patient population —improving outcomes and giving caregivers better peace of mind.
As a pediatric nurse practitioner with over 15 years of experience in the cardiac ICU, I am all too familiar with how devastating missing subtle signs of worsening clinical status could be, so our goal with KidsHeart is to catch issues early before they escalate into emergencies.
Additionally, the app allows us to pair data with frequent telemedicine visits, reducing the number of in-person visits required, especially for families who live far from Duke. This has been particularly beneficial for under-resourced families with significant barriers to travelling to appointments.
i-Cubed has been an incredible partner in our journey to commercialization. Their support helped us refine the app to be even more user-friendly and ensured its feasibility for broader application as we explore business opportunities across the country and internationally.
Looking ahead, we plan to expand KidsHeart to other hospitals and adapt the technology for other high-risk pediatric populations. With i-Cubed’s continued support, we aim to further enhance the app’s research capabilities. These tools can power research in patient populations that have been challenging to capture data from in an outpatient setting. Additionally, I think digital health tools like this can help develop predictive models of risk stratification, enabling clinicians to reduce mortality and ultimately improve the quality of life for pediatric patients.
About i-Cubed
i-Cubed™ is the center for clinical research innovation, powered by the unique expertise and resources of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. We support individuals, teams, and organizations in turning their ideas into tools, technologies, and processes that transform how clinical research is done — for the benefit of people everywhere.
Contact:
icubedcenter@duke.edu
