Wearable ultrasound patch measures blood flow in the brain
In a first for wearable technology, engineers have developed a wearable ultrasound patch that provides continuous, non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in the brain.
Created by a team at the University of California San Diego, the soft and stretchy patch can be comfortably worn on the temple to provide three-dimensional data on cerebral blood flow.
Researchers led by Sheng Xu, a professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, have published their new technology in Nature.
According to UC San Diego, the wearable ultrasound patch marks a significant leap from transcranial Doppler ultrasound, the current clinical standard that requires a trained technician to hold an ultrasound probe against a patient’s head. The process is operator-dependent, so the accuracy of the measurement can vary based on the operator’s skill. It is also said to be impractical for long-term use.
The new wearable ultrasound patch offers a hands-free, consistent and comfortable solution that can be worn continuously during a patient’s hospital stay.
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