Skin-Integrated Devices with Soft, Holey Architectures for Wireless Physiological Monitoring, With Applications in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Sung Soo Kwak, Seonggwang Yoo, Raudel Avila, Ha Uk Chung, Hyoyoung Jeong, Claire Liu, Jamie L. Vogl, Joohee Kim, Hong Joon Yoon, Yoonseok Park, Hanjun Ryu, Geumbee Lee, Jihye Kim, Jahyun Koo, Yong Suk Oh, Sungbong Kim, Shuai Xu, Zichen Zhao, Zhaoqian Xie, Yonggang HuangJohn A. Rogers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

Continuous monitoring of vital signs is an essential aspect of operations in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (NICUs and PICUs), of particular importance to extremely premature and/or critically ill patients. Current approaches require multiple sensors taped to the skin and connected via hard-wired interfaces to external data acquisition electronics. The adhesives can cause iatrogenic injuries to fragile, underdeveloped skin, and the wires can complicate even the most routine tasks in patient care. Here, materials strategies and design concepts are introduced that significantly improve these platforms through the use of optimized materials, open (i.e., “holey”) layouts and precurved designs. These schemes 1) reduce the stresses at the skin interface, 2) facilitate release of interfacial moisture from transepidermal water loss, 3) allow visual inspection of the skin for rashes or other forms of irritation, 4) enable triggered reduction of adhesion to reduce the probability for injuries that can result from device removal. A combination of systematic benchtop testing and computational modeling identifies the essential mechanisms and key considerations. Demonstrations on adult volunteers and on a neonate in an operating NICUs illustrate a broad range of capabilities in continuous, clinical-grade monitoring of conventional vital signs, and unconventional indicators of health status.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2103974
JournalAdvanced Materials
Volume33
Issue number44
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Nov 2021

Keywords

  • electrocardiogram
  • neonates
  • pediatrics
  • physiological monitoring
  • soft electronics
  • wireless wearables

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