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Medical Monitoring Made Easy
1BLOOD PRESSURE : Roughly the size of a nickel , this stickon patch is embedded with dozens of tiny electronics that send ultrasound waves through the body to measure central blood pressure , or CBP . Not to be confused with blood pressure measured by a simple cuff , CBP is the pressure found in the body ’ s central blood vessels that send blood directly from the heart to major organs . CBP must be continuously monitored in patients who are critically ill or undergoing surgery , but traditional methods involve a catheter inserted through the arm , groin , or neck and guided into the heart — an invasive process that can cause complications . This patch does a similar job , all from the surface of the skin .
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BLOOD SUGAR : An estimated 30 million Americans live with diabetes — and with three blood sugar tests a day , that ’ s nearly 1 billion daily finger pricks in the U . S . alone . Researchers at UC San Diego aim to subvert the sting with a wearable sensor that can painlessly and continuously measure the level of blood sugar through the skin . The device is applied just like any temporary tattoo , but its two electrodes produce a mild electrical current that forces glucose molecules between skin cells to rise to the surface . A built-in sensor then translates the strength of the electrical charge to determine overall blood sugar level . This sensor may well be the first to make the leap from the lab — the tattoos are now being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial with UC San Diego Health .
30 TRITON | WINTER 2021