Technological Phases of ABDOPRE: a System for Non-Invasive Reduction of Abdominal Hypertension Using Servo-Controlled External Negative Pressure

Interest in Intra-Abdominal Hypertension (IAH) treatment has increased since the early 2000s at a time the World Society of the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome (WSACS) was founded. The WSACS publishes consensus definitions and clinical practice guidelines for IAH treatament. ABDOPRE is a prototype to reduce intra-abdominal pressure in critically ill patients, applying servo-controlled vacuum. It was originally designed in 2007 to fulfill a clinical need expressed by clinicians at the University Hospital in Uruguay. The goal was to obtain a non-invasive treatment for intra-abdominal hypertension, i.e. when it is higher than 12 mm Hg but still below 20 mm Hg. To achieve its purpose, ABDOPRE uses a vacuum diaphragm pump to reduce the pressure in a bell applied onto the abdomen of the patient. ABDOPRE also monitors the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) using a bladder catheter, which is a minimally invasive technique. This pressure is used to control the vacuum to apply the treatment protocol defined by the physician. Above 20 mmHg, IAH is refractory to vacuum management and must be solved by surgical decompression. However for IAP below 20 mmHg, clinical management can prevent the pressure from reaching critical levels, potentially avoiding the need for invasive methods. Successive versions of ABDOPRE were developed in 2016, 2020 and 2022. Motivated by the confirmed clinical interest and the conformation of an interdisciplinary team which includes physicians, industrial designers and engineers, ABDOPRE is getting ready in 2024 to contribute to clinical research on intra-abdominal hypertension treatment. ABDOPRE 2024 uses a Raspberry Pi 4 model B with 8GB RAM programmed in Python, as a bedside device with monitoring and treatment functionalities. ABDOPRE includes a WiFi connected desktop application to generate clinical reports as the pressure is monitored at the bedside. ABDOPRE 2024 aims at fulfilling the need of a bedside device needed for clinical monitoring and abdomen pressure depressor therapy.