3D printed wearable device monitors stomach activity over 24 hours

Applications include the monitoring of gastro-intestinal (GI) tract activity for patients outside clinical settings, and increasing the likelihood of identifying anomalies. Researchers detail their findings in Scientific Reports.

The device, a 3D printed portable box connected to 10 small wearable electrodes, was tested on 11 children and one adult volunteer.

They found that data collected with the wearable system were comparable to methods used in the clinic, which can include the invasive procedure of inserting a catheter through the patient's nose. They also found that the stomach's electrical activity changes not only around meals, but also during sleep, following its own circadian rhythm.

"We think our system will spark a new kind of medicine, where a gastroenterologist can quickly see where and when a part of the GI tract is showing abnormal rhythms and as a result make more accurate, faster and personalised diagnoses," said Armen Gharibans, the paper's first author and a bioengineering postdoctoral researcher at the University of California San Diego.