
via University of Texas at Austin
Blood pressure is one of the most important indicators of heart health, but it’s tough to frequently and reliably measure outside of a clinical setting. For decades, cuff-based devices that constrict around the arm to give a reading have been the gold standard. But now, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have developed an electronic tattoo that can be worn comfortably on the wrist for hours and deliver continuous blood pressure measurements at an accuracy level exceeding nearly all available options on the market today.
“Blood pressure is the most important vital sign you can measure, but the methods to do it outside of the clinic passively, without a cuff, are very limited,” said Deji Akinwande, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UT Austin and one of the co-leaders of the project, which is documented in a new paper published today in Nature Nanotechnology.
High blood pressure can lead to serious heart conditions if left untreated. It can be hard to capture with a traditional blood pressure check because that only measures a moment in time, a single data point.
“Taking infrequent blood pressure measurements has many limitations, and it does not provide insight into exactly how our body is functioning,” said Roozbeh Jafari, a professor of biomedical engineering, computer science and electrical engineering at Texas A&M and the other co-leader of the project.
The continuous monitoring of the e-tattoo allows for blood pressure measurements in all kinds of situations: at times of high stress, while sleeping, exercising, etc. It can deliver thousands of measurements more than any device thus far.
Mobile health monitoring has taken major leaps in recent years, primarily due to technology such as smartwatches. These devices use metallic sensors that get readings based on LED light sources shined through the skin.
However, leading smartwatches are not yet ready for blood pressure monitoring. That’s because the watches slide around on the wrist and might be far from arteries, making it hard to deliver accurate readings. And the light-based measurements can falter in people with darker skin tones and/or larger wrists.
Graphene is one of the strongest and thinnest materials in existence, and it is a key ingredient in the e-tattoo. It is similar to graphite found in pencils, but the atoms are precisely arranged into thin layers.
E-tattoos make sense as a vehicle for mobile blood pressure monitoring because they reside in a sticky, stretchy material encasing the sensors that is comfortable to wear for long periods and does not slide around.
“The sensor for the tattoo is weightless and unobtrusive. You place it there. You don’t even see it, and it doesn’t move,” Jafari said. “You need the sensor to stay in the same place because if you happen to move it around, the measurements are going to be different.”
The device takes its measurements by shooting an electrical current into the skin and then analyzing the body’s response, which is known as bioimpedance. There is a correlation between bioimpedance and changes in blood pressure that has to do with blood volume changes. However, the correlation is not particularly obvious, so the team had to create a machine learning model to analyze the connection to get accurate blood pressure readings.
In medicine, cuff-less blood pressure monitoring is the “holy grail,” Jafari said, but there isn’t a viable solution on the market yet. It’s part of a larger push in medicine to use technology to untether patients from machines while collecting more data wherever they are, allowing them to go from room to room, clinic to clinic and still get personalized care.
“All this data can help create a digital twin to model the human body, to predict and show how it might react and respond to treatments over time,” Akinwande said.
Original Article: Blood Pressure E-Tattoo Promises Continuous, Mobile Monitoring
More from: University of Texas at Austin | Texas A&M University
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Blood pressure monitoring
- Why you should buy this wireless blood pressure monitor
Grab a portable Omron Evolv BP7000 blood pressure monitor, an easy way to take your own blood pressure and check your heartbeat without leaving your home.
- Irish-led project bags €4.4m for ‘disruptive’ blood pressure device
Led by University of Galway, Smartshape is on a mission to create a microsensor that can be inserted into the body to monitor blood pressure.
- Blood Pressure Monitors Market Size, Advancements, Growth, and Industry Analysis| Fortune Business Insights
The global Blood Pressure Monitors Market size was USD 1.49 billion in 2020.The market is projected to grow from USD 1.68 billion in 2021 to USD 3.21 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 9.8% in the 2021-2028 ...
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) Patient Monitors Market, Leading Players, Growth and Business Opportunities by 2029
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) Patient Monitors Market Size is projected to Reach Multimillion USD by 2029, ...
- Can low blood pressure cause a stroke?
Low blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke. Sudden drops in blood pressure can also cause transient ischemic attacks or ministroke.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Blood pressure monitoring
[google_news title=”” keyword=”blood pressure monitoring” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
E-tattoo
- How To Take Care Of Your Skin After Tattoo Peeling
Are you interested in some extremely useful skincare tips after tattoo peeling? Read on for some of the best tips for your perusal.
- Missoula tattoo, piercing artist charged with sex assault
Andrew Villa III, who works at 406 Art and Soul, is charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent, a felony, along with other misdemeanor charges, court filings show.
- Jonah Hill Has a Lot of Tattoos — What Do They Mean to Him?
Here's what the 'You People' actor has said about his ink, as well as more about the meaning behind the body art.
- 'This is about the community': Tucson-based nonprofit tattoo studio gives back
Spark Project Collective is a nonprofit tattoo and piercing studio based in Tucson that donates funds to charitable causes.
- Tattoo removal: 'I tried the world's most painless laser, here's what happened'
Tattoo removal is impacted by a variety of factors including: Depth Density Location of the tattoo Lifestyle factors e.g. exercise and diet habits ‘These affect results more so than the size of the ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
E-tattoo
[google_news title=”” keyword=”e-tattoo” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]