More Like this

1. A wireless, skin-interfaced biosensor for cerebral hemodynamic monitoring in pediatric care

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2019786117  

   Rwei, Alina Y. ; Lu, Wei ; Wu, Changsheng ; Human, Kelia ; Suen, Emily ; Franklin, Daniel ; Fabiani, Monica ; Gratton, Gabriele ; Xie, Zhaoqian ; Deng, Yujun ; et al ( December 2020 , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   The standard of clinical care in many pediatric and neonatal neurocritical care units involves continuous monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics using hard-wired devices that physically adhere to the skin and connect to base stations that commonly mount on an adjacent wall or stand. Risks of iatrogenic skin injuries associated with adhesives that bond such systems to the skin and entanglements of the patients and/or the healthcare professionals with the wires can impede clinical procedures and natural movements that are critical to the care, development, and recovery of pediatric patients. This paper presents a wireless, miniaturized, and mechanically soft, flexible device that supports measurements quantitatively comparable to existing clinical standards. The system features a multiphotodiode array and pair of light-emitting diodes for simultaneous monitoring of systemic and cerebral hemodynamics, with ability to measure cerebral oxygenation, heart rate, peripheral oxygenation, and potentially cerebral pulse pressure and vascular tone, through the utilization of multiwavelength reflectance-mode photoplethysmography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Monte Carlo optical simulations define the tissue-probing depths for source–detector distances and operating wavelengths of these systems using magnetic resonance images of the head of a representative pediatric patient to define the relevant geometries. Clinical studies on pediatric subjects with and without congenital central hypoventilation syndrome validate the feasibility for using this system in operating hospitals and define its advantages relative to established technologies. This platform has the potential to substantially enhance the quality of pediatric care across a wide range of conditions and use scenarios, not only in advanced hospital settings but also in clinics of lower- and middle-income countries. 

   more » « less
2. A Low-power wearable acoustic device for accurate invasive arterial pressure monitoring

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00296-8  

   Kim, Maruchi ; Wang, Anran ; Jelacic, Srdjan ; Bowdle, Andrew ; Gollakota, Shyamnath ; Michaelsen, Kelly ( December 2023 , Communications Medicine)

   Millions of catheters for invasive arterial pressure monitoring are placed annually in intensive care units, emergency rooms, and operating rooms to guide medical treatment decision-making. Accurate assessment of arterial blood pressure requires an IV pole-attached pressure transducer placed at the same height as a reference point on the patient’s body, typically, the heart. Every time a patient moves, or the bed is adjusted, a nurse or physician must adjust the height of the pressure transducer. There are no alarms to indicate a discrepancy between the patient and transducer height, leading to inaccurate blood pressure measurements.

   We present a low-power wireless wearable tracking device that uses inaudible acoustic signals emitted from a speaker array to automatically compute height changes and correct the mean arterial blood pressure. Performance of this device was tested in 26 patients with arterial lines in place.

   Our system calculates the mean arterial pressure with a bias of 0.19, inter-class correlation coefficients of 0.959 and a median difference of 1.6 mmHg when compared to clinical invasive arterial measurements.

   Given the increased workload demands on nurses and physicians, our proof-of concept technology may improve accuracy of pressure measurements and reduce the task burden for medical staff by automating a task that previously required manual manipulation and close patient surveillance.

    

   more » « less
3. Battery-free, wireless soft sensors for continuous multi-site measurements of pressure and temperature from patients at risk for pressure injuries

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25324-w  

   Oh, Yong Suk ; Kim, Jae-Hwan ; Xie, Zhaoqian ; Cho, Seokjoo ; Han, Hyeonseok ; Jeon, Sung Woo ; Park, Minsu ; Namkoong, Myeong ; Avila, Raudel ; Song, Zhen ; et al ( December 2021 , Nature Communications)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Capabilities for continuous monitoring of pressures and temperatures at critical skin interfaces can help to guide care strategies that minimize the potential for pressure injuries in hospitalized patients or in individuals confined to the bed. This paper introduces a soft, skin-mountable class of sensor system for this purpose. The design includes a pressure-responsive element based on membrane deflection and a battery-free, wireless mode of operation capable of multi-site measurements at strategic locations across the body. Such devices yield continuous, simultaneous readings of pressure and temperature in a sequential readout scheme from a pair of primary antennas mounted under the bedding and connected to a wireless reader and a multiplexer located at the bedside. Experimental evaluation of the sensor and the complete system includes benchtop measurements and numerical simulations of the key features. Clinical trials involving two hemiplegic patients and a tetraplegic patient demonstrate the feasibility, functionality and long-term stability of this technology in operating hospital settings. 

   more » « less
4. Skin‐Integrated Devices with Soft, Holey Architectures for Wireless Physiological Monitoring, With Applications in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202103974  

   Kwak, Sung Soo ; Yoo, Seonggwang ; Avila, Raudel ; Chung, Ha Uk ; Jeong, Hyoyoung ; Liu, Claire ; Vogl, Jamie L. ; Kim, Joohee ; Yoon, Hong‐Joon ; Park, Yoonseok ; et al ( September 2021 , Advanced Materials)

   Continuous monitoring of vital signs is an essential aspect of operations in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (NICUs and PICUs), of particular importance to extremely premature and/or critically ill patients. Current approaches require multiple sensors taped to the skin and connected via hard‐wired interfaces to external data acquisition electronics. The adhesives can cause iatrogenic injuries to fragile, underdeveloped skin, and the wires can complicate even the most routine tasks in patient care. Here, materials strategies and design concepts are introduced that significantly improve these platforms through the use of optimized materials, open (i.e., “holey”) layouts and precurved designs. These schemes 1) reduce the stresses at the skin interface, 2) facilitate release of interfacial moisture from transepidermal water loss, 3) allow visual inspection of the skin for rashes or other forms of irritation, 4) enable triggered reduction of adhesion to reduce the probability for injuries that can result from device removal. A combination of systematic benchtop testing and computational modeling identifies the essential mechanisms and key considerations. Demonstrations on adult volunteers and on a neonate in an operating NICUs illustrate a broad range of capabilities in continuous, clinical‐grade monitoring of conventional vital signs, and unconventional indicators of health status.

    

   more » « less
5. Highly Sensitive Wearable Sensor Based on (001)‐Orientated TiO 2 for Real‐Time Electrochemical Detection of Dopamine, Tyrosine, and Paracetamol

   https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202312238  

   Zhang, Tianyao ; Zhu, Jia ; Xie, Maowen ; Meng, Ke ; Yao, Guang ; Pan, Taisong ; Gao, Min ; Cheng, Huanyu ; Lin, Yuan ( February 2024 , Small)

   The concentration of dopamine (DA) and tyrosine (Tyr) reflects the condition of patients with Parkinson's disease, whereas moderate paracetamol (PA) can help relieve their pain. Therefore, real‐time measurements of these bioanalytes have important clinical implications for patients with Parkinson's disease. However, previous sensors suffer from either limited sensitivity or complex fabrication and integration processes. This work introduces a simple and cost‐effective method to prepare high‐quality, flexible titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films with highly reactive (001)‐facets. The as‐fabricated TiO₂film supported by a carbon cloth electrode (i.e., TiO₂–CC) allows excellent electrochemical specificity and sensitivity to DA (1.390 µA µM⁻¹ cm⁻²), Tyr (0.126 µA µM⁻¹ cm⁻²), and PA (0.0841 µA µM⁻¹ cm⁻²). More importantly, accurate DA concentration in varied pH conditions can be obtained by decoupling them within a single differential pulse voltammetry measurement without additional sensing units. The TiO₂–CC electrochemical sensor can be integrated into a smart diaper to detect the trace amount of DA or an integrated skin‐interfaced patch with microfluidic sampling and wireless transmission units for real‐time detection of the sweat Try and PA concentration. The wearable sensor based on TiO₂–CC prepared by facile manufacturing methods holds great potential in the daily health monitoring and care of patients with neurological disorders.

    

   more » « less