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Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are developing a sensor the size of a Band-Aid that will measure a baby's blood oxygen levels, a vital indication of the lungs' effectiveness and whether the baby's tissue is receiving adequate oxygen supply. Unlike current systems used in hospitals, this miniaturized wearable device will be flexible and stretchable, wireless, inexpensive, and mobile -- possibly allowing the child to leave the hospital and be monitored remotely.
Ulkuhan Guler, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of WPI's Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab, is leading the project focused on enabling sick, hospitalized babies to be untethered from wired sensors, so they can more easily and frequently be examined, held, and even allowed to go home. Guler and her team have developed a miniature oxygen monitor for babies, which measures blood gases diffusing through the skin and reports the data wirelessly.
"Extended stays in the hospital are costly and can be a strain on families," said Guler. "And studies have shown that babies' health improves when they are with their families. Our goal with this affordable, mobile device is to give doctors more flexibility in monitoring their patients both in the hospital and at home."
Typically, measuring oxygen molecule levels transcutaneously involves using a system with an approximately 5-pound monitor plugged into an electrical outlet, and sensors that generally are wired to the monitor. Guler's healthcare device will use wireless power transfer. It also will be connected to the Internet wirelessly so an alarm on a monitor in a doctor's office or smartphone app would notify medical personnel and family members if the baby's oxygen level begins to drop.
The device is designed to measure PO2, or the partial pressure of oxygen, which indicates the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood -- a more accurate indicator of respiratory health than a simple oxygen saturation measurement, which can be easily taken with a pulse oximetry device gently clamped on a finger. And measuring the PO2 level via a noninvasive device attached on the skin is as accurate as a blood test.
The wearable baby oxygen monitor also would be useful for adults, especially people with severe asthma and seniors with COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which is an incurable, progressive lung disease and the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guler will modify the wearable for adults, and create a related smartphone app, in another phase of her research.
Guler is collaborating with Pratap Rao, associate professor of mechanical engineering at WPI, and Lawrence Rhein, MD, chair of the department of pediatrics and an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Ian Costanzo and Devdip Sen, both graduate students in electrical and computer engineering at WPI, also are working with Guler to create a chip that will eventually act as the heart for the wearable device.
"The concept of the technology is that if we have more accessible data for a person of any age, we'll be able to better take care of these patients," said Rhein, who has been advising Guler on what's needed in a hospital and home setting. "The idea of noninvasive, untethered, accessible data collection opens up a whole new world of care."
The chip, designed to work inside the wearable oxygen monitor, activates the optical sensors, captures analogue signals from the sensor, handles power management, and contains required circuitry. Guler and the team have custom designed the individual circuits, such as signal capturing circuits and driver circuits for optical based read-out circuits. In the next phase of the research project, they plan to equip the chip with more circuitries to digitize the analogue signals, transmit the captured and digitized data, and create power from a wireless link. At that point, it will be a complete system on the chip.
In an interdepartmental collaboration, Guler and Rao are creating miniaturized thin and flexible sensors for the wearable healthcare devices so they will be comfortable and secure on the babies while they're moving.
科学家研发无线光学传感器 用于监测患病婴儿的血氧水平  由马萨诸塞州伍斯特理工学院Ulkuhan Guler副教授领导的研究团队正在开发这种小工具，最终该小工具的大小应约为创可贴的大小。它具体测量的是血氧分压(PO2)。这指的是溶解于血液中的氧所产生的张力。研究人员指出，使用这种公爵比使用指夹式脉搏血氧仪获得的氧气饱和度读数更准确地衡量了呼吸健康。 研究人员开发的柔软、可拉伸的传感器可以被贴在皮肤上，并带有发出红光的薄膜。从血流扩散到皮肤的氧气分子越多，光的强度就越大。因此，通过连续监测红光水平，该设备能够实时监测婴儿的PO2。 研究人员计划要求最终版本的传感器采用无线供电。此外，一旦它配备了正在开发的芯片，它将能够在婴儿的血氧水平开始下降的情况下，向医生和父母的智能手机上的应用发送警告。该技术还可用于成年患者，例如患有严重哮喘或慢性阻塞性肺疾病的成年患者。 Guler表示：“延长住院时间会增加昂贵的医疗费用，而且可能给家庭带来压力。我们使用这种价格合理的移动设备的目标是为医生提供更大的灵活性，使其可以在医院和家庭中监控患者。” 分享到：
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mang2004 2019-11-16 23:55
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lufan 2019-11-17 01:05科学家研发无线光学传感器
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bairuizheng 2019-11-17 01:16有价值的仪器
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dushunli 2019-11-17 03:08无线光学传感器！
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redplum 2019-11-17 07:15光学仪器
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likaihit 2019-11-17 07:24无线光学传感器！
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tomryo 2019-11-17 09:18科学家研发无线光学传感器
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不懂想问 2019-11-17 09:45科学家研发无线光学传感器
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copland 2019-11-17 10:20无线光学传感器 用于监测患病婴儿的血氧水平
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谭健 2019-11-17 10:36持续关注
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