This skin-on sensor maps blood oxygen levels anywhere in the body. Its mission, in this study from the University of California, Berkeley, is to monitor the oxygenation of healing wounds in real time. Consisting of an array of alternating red and near-infrared LEDs and organic photodetectors printed on a flexible material, presented in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences, this sensor is promising for all medical applications using the monitoring of oxygen.
The starting hypothesis, well validated, is that wounds cannot heal without the constant supply of a key ingredient of the blood, oxygen. This new flexible sensor can map blood oxygen levels over large areas of skin, tissues and organs. It will thus eventually be able to offer doctors and nurses a new means of monitoring the healing process in real time.
Its added value: its lightness, thinness and flexibility . It is true that oximeter is rather "synonymous" with rigid and bulky sensors. But the new device, composed of organic electronics printed on flexible plastic, molds itself to the contours of the body. Unlike finger oximeters, it can detect blood oxygen levels at 9 points and can be placed anywhere on the skin. It could possibly be used to map the oxygenation of skin grafts or to look through the skin to monitor the oxygen levels of transplanted organs…
More complete and in-depth data: Existing oximeters use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to shine red and infrared light through the skin and then detect the amount of scattered light on the other side. Since oxygen-rich red blood absorbs more infrared light, and darker, oxygen-poor blood absorbs more red light, the ratio of transmitted light helps determine the amount of oxygen in the blood. However, these oximeters only work on partially transparent areas of the body. The new device assesses tissue oxygenation using reflected light rather than transmitted light, eliminating this pitfall with traditional oximeters.
“ After the transplant ,” the researchers point out, “ surgeons want to measure that all parts of an organ are receiving oxygen. With a conventional sensor, the surgeon will be forced to move it to measure oxygenation at different locations. With the new sensor which by reflection transmits the oxygenation data in the form of a table, the surgeon is able to know immediately if there is a site that is not healing properly ”.
Multiple possible applications: in fact, the sensor could revolutionize all medical applications using oxygen monitoring.
This new device could thus make life easier for a large number of patients with diabetes, respiratory diseases and even sleep apnea, who need round-the-clock monitoring of blood oxygen levels.
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