RNC-NIC: 5
NNP-BC: 4
LRN: 5
Ultra-thin, Adhesive-less Epidermal Electronic Systems with in-sensor Analytics for Neonatal Intensive Care: 1 CE
Patient monitoring has not changed much since the 1960s – electrodes with wires stretch in a tangled web plugged into large boxes mounted on the wall. For neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), these systems are more than just inconveniences. The current systems damage ultra-fragile skin for neonates of severe prematurity, frustrate basic clinical care, and prevent skin-to-skin contact between parents and their babies. We describe next generation monitoring systems that are ultra-soft (1000x less peel force compared to conventional adhesives), flexible, skin-conformable, and wireless patches able to not only recapitulate core vital signs but collect advanced physiological parameters of clinical relevance. For this technology, nursing input directly informed design considerations. Early performance testing and feasibility has already been conducted in two separate tertiary level NICUs in more than 70 neonates with results showing equal and even superior performance to standard-of-care monitors.