Abstract
Monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) is important for patients at risk of raised ICP, which may indicate developing diseases in brains that can lead to brain damage or even death. Monitoring ICP can be invaluable in the management of patients suffering from brain injury or hydrocephalus. To date, invasive measurements are still the standard method for monitoring ICP; however, these methods can not only cause bleeding or infection but are also very inconvenient to use, particularly for infants. Currently, none of the non-invasive methods can provide sufficient accuracy and ease of use while allowing continuous monitoring in routine clinical use at low cost. Here, we have developed a wearable, non-invasive ICP sensor that can be used like a band-aid. For the fabrication of the ICP sensor, a novel freeze casting method was developed to encapsulate the liquid metal microstructures within thin and flexible polymers. The final thickness of the ICP sensor demonstrated is 500 µm and can be further reduced. Three different designs of ICP sensors were tested under various pressure actuation conditions as well as different temperature environments, where the measured pressure changes were stable with the largest stability coefficient of variation being only CV = 0.0206. In addition, the sensor output values showed an extremely high linear correlation (R2 > 0.9990) with the applied pressures.
Highlights
It has been proposed that the anterior fontanelle, the soft area of the unformed skull on a new-born baby, can be used as a site for detecting the increased intracranial pressure (ICP) of infants [1,2]
The electrical resistance of the ICP sensor is proportional to the length of the Ga structure and inversely proportional to the crosssectional area of the Ga structure
As the developed ICP sensor is very thin and flexible, the sensor can be deformed when exposed to any external force
Summary
It has been proposed that the anterior fontanelle, the soft area of the unformed skull on a new-born baby, can be used as a site for detecting the increased intracranial pressure (ICP) of infants [1,2]. The ventricular catheterization method [9,10], considered as the gold standard for the ICP measurement, has several critical weaknesses; it is vulnerable to infection and is not suitable for long-term ICP monitoring Another invasive method includes inserting microtransducers in the brain parenchyma, typically placed in the right frontal region, yet this method requires a surgical process and suffers from brain swelling issues and baseline drift of the Biosensors 2021, 11, 213. The developed sensor can be fabricated at significantly lower cost compared to any existing methods and can be further improved by integrating it with a wireless communication module for convenient clinical applications or point-of-care system. It can even be used for analysis of professional athletes’ performance, movement development, or motion capture applications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
