Thin-Film Flexible Wireless Pressure Sensor for Continuous Pressure Monitoring in Medical Applications.

Muhammad Farooq,Patricia Vazquez,William Wijns,Sudhin Thampi,Nazar Farid,Atif Shahzad,Talha Iqbal

doi:10.3390/s20226653

Muhammad Farooq, Patricia Vazquez + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/s20226653

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Abstract

Physiological pressure measurement is one of the most common applications of sensors in healthcare. Particularly, continuous pressure monitoring provides key information for early diagnosis, patient-specific treatment, and preventive healthcare. This paper presents a thin-film flexible wireless pressure sensor for continuous pressure measurement in a wide range of medical applications but mainly focused on interface pressure monitoring during compression therapy to treat venous insufficiency. The sensor is based on a pressure-dependent capacitor () and printed inductive coil () that form an inductor-capacitor (LC) resonant circuit. A matched reader coil provides an excellent coupling at the fundamental resonance frequency of the sensor. Considering varying requirements of venous ulceration, two versions of the sensor, with different sizes, were finalized after design parameter optimization and fabricated using a cost-effective and simple etching method. A test setup consisting of a glass pressure chamber and a vacuum pump was developed to test and characterize the response of the sensors. Both sensors were tested for a narrow range (0–100 mmHg) and a wide range (0–300 mmHg) to cover most of the physiological pressure measurement applications. Both sensors showed good linearity with high sensitivity in the lower pressure range <100 mmHg, providing a wireless monitoring platform for compression therapy in venous ulceration.

Highlights

Physiological pressure, including intraocular, intracranial, and cardiovascular pressure, is a key parameter for the assessment of human health and provides opportunities for early diagnosis, personalized therapy, and preventive healthcare [1]
The proposed sensor is based on an LC resonance circuit, where the resonance frequency of the proposed sensor is based on an LC resonance circuit, where the resonance frequency of the LC circuitThe is proportional to the applied pressure
1b, an array of wireless sensors can be formed to help in delivering a more controlled in Figure 1b, an array of wireless sensors can be formed to help in delivering a more controlled personalized compression therapy forfor thethe fast recovery readoutband band can personalized compression therapy fast recoveryofofvenous venousulcers

Summary

Introduction

Physiological pressure, including intraocular, intracranial, and cardiovascular pressure, is a key parameter for the assessment of human health and provides opportunities for early diagnosis, personalized therapy, and preventive healthcare [1]. Pressure monitoring has been used in diagnosing lower limb problems, muscle rehabilitation, and wound monitoring [1,2,3,4]. A common medical application of non-invasive pressure sensing is the monitoring of compression therapy to treat venous leg ulcers. Venous insufficiency occurs when blood is unable to return to the heart and accumulates in the lower limbs. Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) may cause swelling, pain, edema, and ulcerations [5,6]. The most effective treatment for CVI is compression therapy, in which a compression bandage is used to apply gradual pressure between the ankle and knee to improve the circulation of blood in the lower

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