Skin patch for measuring blood pressure

The device uses ultrasound to monitor subcutaneous arterial blood pressure and physiological signals located deep in the patient's body.

According to SD, this device was successfully tested by scientists at the University of California San Diego, USA. The device is used to monitor blood pressure of people with heart, lung, people who are in critical condition or who have had surgery.

Sheng Xu, a professor of nanotechnology, said the thin patch is made of flexible silicone that contains electronic components, connected by twisted wires. This structure makes the patch flexible and feels comfortable to the skin, while protecting the wire from being broken every time it stretches.

The blood pressure patch made of flexible silicone is connected by twisted conductors.(Photo: WT).

Unlike a sphygmomanometer by a pump that wraps around the biceps, this device measures the arterial blood pressure of the patient. Central blood pressure is the measured blood pressure in the center of the blood vessel, where blood is pumped directly from the heart to places of the body. The results accurately reflect the condition of the patient more than peripheral blood pressure and help predict the risk of effective heart disease, Sheng Xu said.

"Ultrasound-based products constantly take measurements of pulses that are about 4cm deep under the skin. Information obtained can describe what's going on in the patient's heart based on each specific waveform. , doctors can assess the patient's heart health condition more thoroughly , " Su said.

A soft, elastic elastic patch is tested on patient's neck, forearm, wrist, and leg. The test was also conducted in both static states and exercise exercises. Results measured from a tight patch with a traditional ultrasound lamp.

Dr. Brady Huang, a member of the research team, said that for complicated cardiopulmonary surgeries, thorough follow-up and knowing exactly the arterial blood pressure is necessary. Therefore this device is a new technology with high support ability, effectively replacing previous traditional methods.

"The great progress of this study is that the ultrasound technique can be scaled down with just one patch. The doctor can obtain the aortic blood pressure readings deep down in the skin continuously. There is no need to resort to traditional invasive methods , ' Mr. Huang said.

Researchers believe that the new device still has a long testing process before being present at medical centers. There are still many issues that need to be improved such as integrated power supply, data processing unit and necessary wireless connections.

Dr Su said: "The patch must also send information by wire from external devices. In the short term, we are looking forward to working with experts on data transmission and wireless technology for the period. Next paragraph of the study ".