Self-sustained closed respiratory loop in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in real life—A perspective

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health issue impacting healthcare worldwide. COPD leads to a constant decline in respiratory function and death. Oxygen therapy plays an important part in managing COPD; however, the available solutions often remain inadequate in adapting to patients' fluctuating oxygen demands in the real world. We propose a conceptual approach based on closed-loop automated respiratory control (CLARC) that integrates a wearable oxygen delivery system designed to provide personalized and adaptive oxygen therapy. CLARC integrates printed biosensors, wearable electronics, and a miniaturized unitized reversible fuel cell (uRFC) to generate and regulate oxygen supply sustainably and in accordance with a patient's real-world demand, such as during activity or rest. Further, this perspective discusses the full project development chain ranging from ideation to clinical testing to reach the aim of long-term home-care applications. CLARC is a transdisciplinary, evolved concept with the potential to reshape state-of-the-art COPD management.