Designing a home monitoring tool for patients with degenerative heart disease - LYRA
N. Bejar Kurtin (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
R.H.M. Goossens – Mentor (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
W.F. van der Vegte – Mentor (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Ashesh Shah – Mentor
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Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, yet patient monitoring between medical check-ups is still limited. After diagnosis, follow-up care for conditions such as valvular heart disease, specifically primary heart disease (degenerative heart disease) relies mainly on episodic echocardiography, leaving long intervals with little visibility into patients’ day-to-day cardiac status. This lack of continuous insight creates uncertainty for both patients and clinicians.
This project explores to what extent can Sonion’s acoustic sensor technology enable continuous at-home heart sound monitoring. The goal is to design and validate a patient-centered system capable of recording and analyzing phonocardiographic signals in everyday settings. The concept combines high-fidelity sensing, data processing, and user-friendly interfaces to support both early anomaly detection and patient reassurance.
The thesis investigates three key aspects: technical feasibility in real-world use, patient usability and adherence, and the potential clinical value of continuous heart sound data. Through an iterative design process integrating expert input, prototyping, and user insights, the project aims to deliver a proof-of-concept system and evidence for its future application in digital cardiac follow-up care. Ultimately, the work seeks to transform heart sounds from a one-time diagnostic cue into a continuous health indicator that connects patients and clinicians between visits.
The new device and system enables patients to perform guided cardiac sound recordings at home, following measurement routines defined by their cardiologist, while allowing additional use when extra reassurance is needed. Acoustic data is captured using Sonion’s sensor technology and processed within a mobile application, where signals are analyzed and visualized locally on the user’s smartphone. This approach supports repeated measurements in everyday contexts without adding clinical burden, while preserving a clear separation between patient self use and medical decision making.
In conclusion, LYRA offers a patient focused proof of concept for at home heart sound monitoring that supports telemonitoring scenarios while strengthening patient empowerment. By combining accessible acoustic measurements, local signal analysis, and a human centered design approach, the system demonstrates how heart sounds can support reassurance, awareness, early recognition of change, and sustained engagement for people living with degenerative heart disease.