I-Corps: Wireless Vital Signs Monitoring

I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种无线、皮肤样的生命体征监测仪，提供临床级数据，同时最大限度地提高患者的舒适度和灵活性。目前监测患者生命体征的临床标准包括将患者物理地绑在多个传感器上，这些传感器用电线连接到床边的监视器。这些系统为参与护理流程的人员（包括患者、提供者和付款人）带来了许多缺点。目前的有线系统通常不用于家庭的详细监控。它们是患者活动的障碍，并导致皮肤刺激和感染。该项目的价值主张是通过允许不受限制的患者活动和防止皮肤损伤来提高护理质量和缩短住院时间，同时提供准确诊断患者的关键数据。此外，无线系统的开发将使医院监测设备具有灵活性，并具有改善资源匮乏或家庭环境护理的巨大潜力。I-Corps项目将进一步开发一种灵活的、可伸缩的无线传感器平台，该平台可以在广泛的潜在医疗保健应用中改善对患者生命体征的监测。该传感器由一个由柔软的柔性衬底支撑的超薄纳米膜电极组成。该传感器具有柔韧性和可拉伸性，可与患者皮肤进行适形接触，并可对多种生命体征进行高分辨率测量，以监测心脏、大脑和肌肉活动。这些无线测量可用于在医院或家庭环境中监测患者。随着机器学习方法的实施，结合多种高分辨率信号模式将提高诊断的准确性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to develop a wireless, skin-like vital signs monitor that provides clinical grade data while maximizing patient comfort and mobility. The current clinical standard for monitoring patient vital signs consists of physically tethering the patient to multiple sensors with wires connected to a bed-side monitor. These systems present a number of drawbacks for those involved in the care stream, including patients, providers, and payers. The current wired systems are not typically used for detailed monitoring at home. They are a barrier to patient mobility and lead to skin irritation and infection. The value proposition of this project is to improve quality of care and shorten hospital stays by permitting uninhibited patient mobility and preventing skin injury while providing critical data to accurately diagnose patients. Additionally, the development of a wireless system will enable flexibility in monitoring equipment for hospitals and has significant potential to improve care in low-resource or at-home settings.This I-Corps project will further develop a flexible, stretchable wireless sensor platform which can improve monitoring of patient vital signs in a wide array of potential healthcare applications. The sensor consists of an ultrathin nanomembrane electrode supported by a soft flexible substrate. The flexible, stretchable nature of the sensor enables conformal contact with a patient's skin and high-resolution measurement of multiple vital signs to monitor heart, brain, and muscle activity. These wireless measurements can be used to monitor patients in hospital or at-home settings. Combining multiple high-resolution signal modalities will improve diagnostic accuracy as machine learning methods are implemented.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.