AcuteCare InnovationHub

The AcuteCare InnovationHub is an interdisciplinary research unit within the Department of Anesthesiology at University Hospital RWTH Aachen. Serving as an interface between research and clinical practice, as  well as between academia and industry, we accelerate the translation of innovative ideas into clinical application. Our agile, application-oriented approach enables seamless collaboration between researchers, developers, and end users—driving the rapid development of solutions for acute care medicine.

Our Focus: Two Core Fields of Innovation

1. Digital Anesthesia

We are developing forward-thinking approaches to revolutionize perioperative care. Key areas include:

• Perioperative Telemedicine: Enhancing patient care before, during, and after surgery.
• Contactless Vital Signs Monitoring: Accurate measurement and analysis of vital parameters without direct patient contact.
• Interoperability and Clinical Decision Support: Improving collaboration between medical systems in compliance with
  the SDC IEEE 11073 standard, and supporting clinical decision-making through data analytics.
• Smart Alerting: Reducing alarm fatigue and increasing patient safety through intelligent notification systems.

2. Digital Disaster Medicine

We develop cutting-edge technologies for civil protection and disaster response, enabling faster and more efficient action in emergency situations. Key areas include:

• Telemedicine in Civil Protection and Disaster Response: Supporting medical care in hard-to-reach locations and compensating for limited on-site medical resources.
• Technical Triage Support: Efficient prioritization and treatment of patients during mass casualty incidents.
• Sensor and Material Transport via Drones: Fast and reliable delivery of medical equipment and sensors to improve operational efficiency, reduce stockpiling needs, and maintain situational awareness.
• Safety at Major Events: Innovative concepts for risk reduction and protection of participants at large public gatherings.

A Toolbox of Modern Methods

Our research projects are grounded in state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies, including:

• Telemedicine
• Smart Sensor Technologies
• Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Decision Support
• Unmanned Systems (Drones, Robotics)
• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Engineers, computer scientists, medical professionals, and researchers from various disciplines work together in an interprofessional setting. With our projects, we are charting new paths in acute care medicine—contributing to the optimal use of healthcare system resources.