A new type of wearable sensor ‘bandage’ that can monitor blood oxygenation is being developed.
Driven partly by the growing interest in telemedicine as a result of COVID researchers at Missouri S&T are working on a printable, flexible, disposable sensor that can interact with a smartphone. This new kind of inexpensive sensor could alert health care workers early on to developing conditions such as pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers normally develop from ischaemia caused by pressure and shear, and often occur in hospitalised patients or bedridden patients at home.
“Our current work focuses on designing and optimising a tissue oxygen sensor by using inexpensive inkjet printing techniques,” said Dr Chang-Soo Kim, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri S&T. “Concurrently, we are developing a smartphone app that can interpret sensor images. This prototype will be evaluated using phantom tissue that mimics a pressure ulcer site.”
Dr Kim is working with other researchers to create a cheap, easy-to-use sensor to help prevent pressure sores which are on the rise due to obesity and diabetes. This might speed recovery, reducing the length of hospital stays and saving millions of dollars.
Current pressure ulcer monitoring involves manual examination, but with this wearable sensor, drops in oxygen levels are sensed at the at-risk site before they have a chance to turn into a sore. The change could even be detected at home, in say a foot ulcer, alerting a clinician via smartphone who could then provide a diagnosis.
“Our optical sensor bandage functions by detecting a low skin oxygen level caused by compromised circulation,” said Kim. “This low oxygen produces a color change called luminescence intensity. The smartphone can then take a photograph of the dressing and transmit it to enable remote monitoring or encourage timely intervention before major skin decomposition occurs.”
Source: Medical Xpress
