Our team:

Ao.Prof. Dr.med. Kinga Howorka, MBA, MPH

Susanne Reischl

Dr.med. Jiri Pumprla, MBA, MPH

RN Elsa Perneczky   

Dr.med. Michaela Gabriel    

Cand.med. Nora Howorka

Dr.med. Marietta Puck

Cand.med. Zeljko Milak

Cand.med. Ibrahim Amir 

Research Group Functional Rehabilitation: Historical Development

       1981-1984   Relational database for development of outpatient diabetes care model

       1983-1987   Invention of  Functional Insulin Treatment; mathematical model for estimation of initial algorithms, didactic model for transfer to other centres, co-development of insulin pumps

       1987-2009   Quality management: Continuous outcome data acquisition and analysis for international benchmarking; cooperations with Joanneum Research Graz, Forum Qualitätssicherung Diabetes

       Since 1987   Media: medical professionals/physicians (Functional Insulin Treatment, Springer Berlin 2009: 5th edition) and patients (Insulin-dependent?..., Kirchheim Publishers Mainz 2008: 8th edition) Foreign editions (GB/US, CZ, PL, H).

       Since 1990   Collaborative research projects biomedical engineering

       1987 - 2001   Translation research: Invention and evaluation of modular system of rehabilitation in chronic diseases

       2009              Evaluation of economic impact of modular rehabilitation system using Markov modelling approach (DANUBE-A data modelling system)

       1997 - 2009  ISO 9001 conformity for research, rehabilitation & graduate education

       1987 - 2009  Method transfer: 16 International Workshops and Seminars in Translation Research, Rehabilitation Engineering for FIT and Modular Education

Research Group Functional Rehabilitation and Biomedical Translation Research: Our Contemporary Contribution to the Discipline of Biomedical Engineering (according to Bronzino JD: The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, CRC/IEEE Press, 1995)

       Rehabilitation Engineering: Design and development of therapeutic and rehabilitation devices and procedures. Development of Functional Insulin Treatment and related structured educational modules and media

       Medical Imaging: To provide graphic displays of detail and physiological function of cardiovascular autonomic control (HRV, telemetric heart rate variability analysis in time and frequency domain)

      Biomechanics: Study of static and fluid mechanics associated with physiologic systems (invention and patent for an insulin pump)

       Biologic Effects of Electromagnetic Fields: Study of the effects of electromagnetic fields on biologic tissue

       Biomaterials: Design and development of bioimplan-table materials (invention & patent for an insulin pump)

       Biomedical Instrumentation: To monitor and measure physiologic events; involves development of applications for cardiovascular (heart rate variability), thermoregulatory and continuous glycemic (CGMS) biosensors

       Physiologic Modeling, Simulation and Control: Use of computer simulations to develop an understanding of physiologic relationships (invention and prototyping of hand-held data acquisition device “Robert”)

       Biosensors: Detection of biologic events and their conversion to electrical signals: application to heart rate variability (HRV) and EEG (LORETA)

       Prosthetic Devices and Artificial Organs: Design and development of devices for replacement or augmentation of bodily function (phrenic pacemaker, insulin pumps)

       Biotechnology: To create or modify biologic material, including tissue engineering (insulin analog studies) ->see our studies with glargine, lispro, aspart…

       Medical and Biologic Analysis: To detect, classify and analyze bioelectrical signals (HRV, CGMS, ABPM ambulatory blood pressure monitoring)

       Medical Informatics: Patient-related data, interpret results and assist in clinical decision making, including expert systems and neural networks (development of hypoglycemia sensor, epidemiology – FQSD) and benchmarking

       Clinical Engineering: Design and development of clinically related facilities, de-vices, systems and procedures (ABPM, CGMS, HRV, hypoglycemia sensor, data management device “Robert”, patent on insulin pump, FIT structured educa-tion system, FQSD-based international systematic benchmarking, ISO 9001-certified system since 1997 as the first medical research group in Austria)

OVERVIEW OF SELECTED PROJECTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND BENCHMARKING

·         ISO 9001 conformity for research, universitary education and rehabilitation

REHABILITATION ENGINEERING: MEDIA & STRATEGIES

·         Translation research: Invention & development of rehabilitation strategies, technical aids, educational media /printed and audiovisual/ for chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome and motor disabilities (phrenic pacemaker)

·         Translation research: DIABETES-ASSIST, project within the FP7 medical research frame, media development for telecare of diabetes

·         “Closing the loop” -- algorithms for insulin dosage for insulin pumps and/or pens

·         Continuous or intermittent self monitoring of glucose in diabetes

·         Rehabilitation strategies in severely handicapped patients and elderly people with loss of motor functions

MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS: HRV, CGMS, ABPM

·         Development and clinical evaluation of short-term heart rate variability analysis, validation of continuous blood glucose monitoring, development of computational algorithms for CGMS (sensor modal days)

BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION / BIOSENSORS

·         Hypoglycemia threshold sensor

·         Hypoglycemia early recognition patterns in diabetes patients with hypoglycemia unawareness (EEG LORETA), development of hypoglycemia threshold sensor

PROSTHETIC DEVICES AND ARTIFICIAL ORGANS

·         Phrenic pacemaker: invention, design, development and implementation

·         Invention and practical applications of an insulin pump