Acoustic Voice and Speech Biomarkers of Treatment Status during Hospitalization for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Featured Application: A key potential application of the current work is prospective at-home monitoring of patients at risk for acute decompensated heart failure using non-invasive acoustic voice and speech biomarkers, which can help avoid rehospitalization and reduce morbidity and mortality. This study investigates acoustic voice and speech features as biomarkers for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), a serious escalation of heart failure symptoms including breathlessness and fatigue. ADHF-related systemic fluid accumulation in the lungs and laryngeal tissues is hypothesized to affect phonation and respiration for speech. A set of daily spoken recordings from 52 patients undergoing inpatient ADHF treatment was analyzed to identify voice and speech biomarkers for ADHF and to examine the trajectory of biomarkers during treatment. Results indicated that speakers produce more stable phonation, a more creaky voice, faster speech rates, and longer phrases after ADHF treatment compared to their pre-treatment voices. This project builds on work to develop a method of monitoring ADHF using speech biomarkers and presents a more detailed understanding of relevant voice and speech features.