Measuring Blood Pressure Internally
Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego, have made a tiny implantable electronic patch that can be placed up to an inch beneath the skin and accurately monitor central blood pressure. As described, “The patch is a thin sheet of silicone elastomer patterned with what’s called an “island-bridge” structure–an array of small electronic parts (islands) that are each connected by spring-shaped wires (bridges). Each island contains electrodes and devices called piezoelectric transducers, which produce ultrasound waves when electricity passes through them. The bridges connecting them are made of thin, spring-like copper wires. The island-bridge structure allows the entire patch to conform to the skin and stretch, bend and twist without compromising electronic function. The patch uses ultrasound waves to continuously record the diameter of a pulsing blood vessel. . . .” This is a preclinical prototype which eventually should have its own power source, data processing and wireless communications. MORE
Image Credit: Chonghe Wang/Nature Biomedical Engineering and UCSD News Center