Overactive bladder (OAB) affects seventeen percent of the French population and is characterized by a sudden urge to urinate, urinary frequency, with or without incontinence.
Botulinum toxin, injected into the bladder every 6 to 12 months, is an effective treatment. In 2022, more than 10,000 injections were performed in France (ATIH data). At the Grenoble University Hospital (CHUGA), 190 injections were recorded in 2018 and 300 in 2023. As elsewhere, the active patient cohort is increasing exponentially.
Treatment efficacy is assessed using a voiding diary (VD): a three-day record of each voiding episode with bladder capacity, frequency, and leakage. It is essential to detect the onset of voiding dysfunction through uroflowmetry and ultrasound measurement of post-void residual (PVR) at 6 weeks after injection (peak diffusion and efficacy). This allows determining the dose and frequency of reinjections. The goal is to improve quality of life, but also to protect the upper urinary tract, particularly in neurogenic bladders.
These 300 annual injections require 300 follow-up consultations, but many data points are often missing. Indeed, patients currently often attend post-injection consultations without a voiding diary and with a non-empty bladder… It is therefore important to improve this follow-up.
With our VESIC@HOME project, we aim to provide patients with the services of the home-care provider IC@dom and, thanks to suitable connected tools (Homeflow®), collect VD and uroflowmetry/PVR at home, as well as quality-of-life questionnaires, thereby improving data completeness under more physiological and comfortable conditions for the patient.