Quantification of Nighttime Micturition With an Ambulatory Sensor-Based System

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Benign prostate syndrome (BPS) is a common urinary disorder in elderly males.
• Nocturia, a key BPS symptom, significantly impacts quality of life.
• Current assessment methods like the International Prostate Symptom Score are subjective and prone to bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an unobtrusive device for objective measurement of nighttime micturition.
• To address the lack of objective tools for assessing nocturia in BPS patients.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel, non-stigmatizing device for monitoring nighttime urination.
• Preliminary study with six BPS males (nocturia ≥ 2×) to assess device accuracy.
• Extended study including nine additional males and occupancy sensor data for validation.

Main Results:

• The device demonstrated high accuracy in preliminary tests (0.32 events misdetection, 3.8% deviation).
• Extended study results confirmed accuracy (0.33 events misdetection, 9.1% deviation).
• The system provides reliable, objective data on nighttime micturition frequency.

Conclusions:

• The developed device offers an objective and non-stigmatizing method for measuring nighttime micturition.
• This technology can serve as a basis for BPS treatment and medication efficacy assessment.
• Objective nocturia measurement can improve patient care and treatment outcomes.