Scientists at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable wireless system for deep tissue monitoring. This will facilitate the examination of the cardiovascular system. Research published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Preliminary tests have shown that the ultrasonic system on a soft flexible patch allows continuous monitoring of physiological signals from tissues up to a depth of 164 mm. This means that it can continuously measure central blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output and other physiological signals for up to twelve hours a day.
The enhancement differs from other soft ultrasonic sensors in the absence of wires, which greatly limits the user’s mobility. In addition, human movement did not affect the measurement results.
The device can measure the cardiovascular response to exercise in healthy individuals in real time. This way, they can get an idea of the true intensity of their training and increase their effectiveness.
Also, abnormal blood pressure and cardiac output values at rest or during exercise are signs of heart failure. Therefore, the development of scientists can be used to monitor the condition of patients with cardiovascular disease.
So far, the device has only been tested on a small but diverse population, the scientists said. In the future, the sensor will be tested on more people, including in clinical trials.