In the realm of critical care, patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) necessitate constant monitoring and life support, contributing to the escalating economic burden associated with ICU care. Factors such as an aging population, chronic diseases, and pandemics further strain ICU management, necessitating cost-effective solutions to enhance efficiency and care quality. Digital twins, particularly in technology-rich environments like the ICU, offer a promising avenue for improvement.
In this specific use case, EDITH focus is on utilizing digital twins to manage hyperglycaemia in critically ill patients. A digital twin, that enables patient-specific, risk-based glycaemic control, incorporating both physiological metabolic and stochastic models to address variability, has been developed by EDITH partner, University of Liege, Belgium. This approach allows the researchers to predict patient responses and tailor treatment with precision, providing healthcare professionals with real-time insights and recommendations based on risk assessments.
This digital twin has undergone successful clinical validation, outperforming conventional practices. Currently, University of Liège is enhancing integration with hospital IT infrastructure and electronic health records, with plans for commercial deployment.