Wireless Intracranial Pressure Monitoring System

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Intracranial Pressure (ICP) monitoring is an extremely important part of neurosurgical care for both acute events such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hematoma as well as chronic diseases such as hydrocephalus or benign intracranial hypertension. Current wired ICP monitoring systems involve a surgical procedure, introducing an intracranial probe through the skin and skull while the external end is connected to a monitor. The benefits of this system are offset by the significant risks of serious, potentially life-threatening, transcutaneous infection of the brain, particularly when the ICP recording is prolonged. It necessitates restricting mobility, particularly difficult for children and elderly patients; two groups commonly requiring prolonged ICP monitoring.We have developed, a revolutionary wearable/wireless sensing technology at Imperial College, over 12 years, supported by £5million research funding from the Department of Health and Social Care and Wellcome Trust. Our ICP monitoring solution eliminates the risk of transcutaneous infection, as it benefits from a wireless implantable sensor that can be interrogated by a wearable reader. The implantable sensor is made from highly stable crystal quartz and other biocompatible materials, used in implants for years. The sensor is equipped with a thin antenna with minimal risk of complication and works in a licence-free band available in Europe, USA, China and most countries. The unique combination of the technologies allows for a small implant, reader and external antenna. The reader is lightweight (120g), battery-powered and designed for 12 hours of continuous ICP monitoring on a single charge. It is equipped with Bluetooth and GSM wireless interfaces for data transmission to smart devices as well as healthcare servers. Patients' real-time data can be seamlessly streamed to the Cloud, making it available to clinicians 24/7 and raising alarm when abnormal pressure occurs. Reco's system has minimal infection risk, offers patient mobility/comfort in hospital or at home and can decrease healthcare costs by ~ £6000/patient compared with existing wired systems.Reco Medical was awarded InnovateUK £500K Smart grant in 2020 to build the QMS, fabricate sensors in a scalable setting, perform the necessary in vitro and pre-clinical tests, and be ready for clinical trial application by 2022, followed by a clinical trial in 2023, UKCA, CE and FDA approvals in 2024 and enter the market in 2025, to bring benefits to patients and healthcare systems.