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Researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) have developed a new technology for monitoring the health of the heart patients. The new technique called wireless digital plaster can now be used in a patient’s chest instead of the bulky ones to assess the condition of a patient.
The sensible digital plaster acts like a disposable device and it can collect the vital information when sticked to the patient’s chest. It can be replaced after a certain period to ensure no infection is there.
The wireless digital plaster is fit with a wireless sensor attached to a silicon chip, which can collect vital data from the patient’s body like heart beat, body temperature and respiration. Then the doctors can download the information using a mobile phone and can supervise the patients based on the changes. This is an excellent way to detect the abnormality quickly and can go for treatment as early as possible.
The most important thing is that the doctors can monitor the patients on 24/7 basis without any missing of data. Again the data collected from the patch can also be integrated automatically into the patient’s electronic medical record.
This new method of monitoring the health of the patients will be a better way to recover from surgery and illness at home than in hospital. In addition, the collective data can guide the doctors in guiding the lifestyle of the heart patients.
Lead researcher, Professor Chris Toumazou said, "We think the digital plaster could revolutionise healthcare and we’re really excited to see it being tried out with patients for the first time. Ultimately, the plaster could mean that doctors can keep track of any worrying changes in patients’ vital signs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and then deal with any problems that arise really quickly. We think that fewer patients will have medical complications if doctors can spot health problems as soon as they arise and then treat each patient accordingly."
"We’re hoping that the plaster will improve the health and wellbeing of a vast range of patients - from patients on a general hospital ward to people with chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease who want to have their health monitored without having to keep visiting the hospital. At the same time, the plaster should free up doctors and nurses’ time by allowing them to keep an eye on patients without continuously checking bits of machinery," he added.
