AGAUR Product funds an innovative I3PT project

The group of “Translational Research in Pathophysiology Associated with the Critically Ill”Led by Dra. Josefina López-Aguilar, GRC-AGAUR and member of CIBERES, has received funding from the Knowledge Industry 2019 program, Modality B Product, awarded by the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project EPPICS, from English Early prevention of the Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, aims to develop an innovative technological tool for the prevention of cognitive and emotional disorders associated with PICS and has received a grant of € 100.000 to develop this "digital therapy".

The EPPICS project is led by post-doctoral researcher Sol Fernández-Gonzalo and has pre-doctoral researcher Guillem Navarra-Ventura, who in his role as an entrepreneurial scientist, will enjoy specialized training of 80 hours from Pompeu Fabra University-Barcelona School of Management. The aim of this training is to facilitate the transfer of technology to the market and make it accessible to the general population. The team that will carry out the project is multidisciplinary and includes neuropsychologists, intensive care physicians, nursing and information systems staff and other biomedical researchers from I3PT.

It has been described that between 30-50% of patients surviving a critical illness will develop this syndrome. PICS is characterized by the appearance of a set of sequelae on a physical, cognitive and emotional level, which impact on the functionality and quality of life of the patient and their relatives. These alterations usually appear after discharge from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), may persist over time, and are associated with high personal and medical costs. There are currently very few solutions aimed at preventing the alterations associated with PICS and most of them focus on the physical aspects of the disease. The funding received will be used to develop neurocognitive stimulation software that will incorporate emotional support tools and can be used from the early stages of the disease, when the patient is still in the ICU, and aims to prevent cognitive impairment and associated with PICS. This digital tool will also integrate the LIBERIA UCI smart communicator, developed by the company Liberia Community, which will facilitate the interaction of patients who have communication difficulties during admission to the ICU, due to the need for mechanical ventilation or other reasons. , with care staff and their families.

This study joins the various research projects that Parc Taulí currently has aimed at deepening the knowledge of the sequels of the PICS. The project is part of one of the lines of research of the I3PT, initiated more than 10 years ago by the director of Research and Innovation of the I3PT, Dr. Lluís Blanch and who has previously received funding from the TV3 Marathon and research funds from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, among others.