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VTT biosignal competence helps improve patient critical care

VTT biosignal know-how is utilised in different health care applications. One specific field is brain monitoring in critical care in intensive care units and operating rooms. Biosignals can help to detect critical events in the patients’ state that require immediate attention, such as epileptic seizures, which would otherwise go unnoticed and could be life-threatening.

Brain signals, such as EEG, provide vital information about the patient’s prevailing condition when a patient is not able to communicate. This is the case when patients are under anesthesia or sedation.

VTT has been conducting research projects in this area for over ten years. As a result VTT biosignal processing competence is utilised in devices assessing parts of the patient’s brain activity during anesthesia and in the intensive care unit.

Software algorithms recognize changes

In its research, VTT analyses patient data collected from hospitals, in order to identify typical patterns in patients’ changing brain signal data during different events. Such patterns could be, for example, related to changes in the depth of anesthesia or sedation or occurrence of epileptic seizures. Interpretation of these data and development of biosignal processing algorithms requires deep understanding of measurement technologies, human behaviour and physiology, signal processing and interpretation methods

Successfully developing applications that use these techniques and that will actually be accepted in clinical practice by end-users requires taking into account the viewpoints and needs of both clinical partners and device manufacturers.

Biosignals in other research applications

VTT is using brain activity signals in many other biosignal research projects as well. These include, e.g., development of methods to detect changes in the brain caused by mental conditions, such as burnout or stress.

VTT is also co-ordinator of the TBIcare EU project (, which aims to improve the diagnostics and treatment decision making for patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries. The purpose is to develop means to offer brain injury patients individual treatment optimised for his or her specific needs.

More information about VTT biosignal research

TBIcare project

Additional information

Mark Van Gils
Principal Scientist
+358 20 722 3342

Kari Kohtamäki
Key Account Manager
+358 20 722 6007