Technology

A graphene tattoo that continuously monitors blood pressure

A graphene tattoo that continuously monitors blood pressure

A team of scientists at the University of Texas at Austin developed a system that allows continuous monitoring of data obtained by measuring blood pressure.

According to experts' opinions, the traditional way of measuring blood pressure is not the most reliable since the data obtained is based on the patient's mood at the time of measurement. On the other hand, this new system avoids having to go to the doctor's office and have the cuff tightened on the arm.

The new system, in addition to being less invasive and with the advantage of being able to measure blood pressure continuously and obtain data in the form of images, is an electronic tattoo that is composed of a graphene sensor inserted in an adhesive material, which is not uncomfortable and can be used for long periods of time without the risk of it moving or getting lost.

The team, in addition to developing the driver vehicle, developed automated learning models that learn to read the data from the blood pressure reading.

For the electronic tattoo to work, it emits a mild electrical current shot into the skin, measuring the body's reaction with bioimpedance, an indirect correlation with blood pressure that the new models can calculate.

Graphene is an essential part of this new system, today it is present in chip manufacturing, the medical sector, pharmaceuticals and even in nanorobotics. So, the electronic tattoo "It has no weight, it is invisible. You put it on and forget about it," Deji Akiwande, who is part of the research team, told the New Sciencist portal.

The baumanometer, or blood pressure monitor, dates back more than a century, and this new system is a radical departure from what many are used to.

The temporary tattoo has 12 almost invisible graphene strips located in two rows along the two main arteries of the forearm. The outer ones send small electrical signals to the inside of the arm, while the inner ones detect alterations in blood flow as the voltage changes. During testing, the tattoo was found to be able to accurately measure blood pressure in the arteries for 300 minutes.

The findings were published in the journal Nature, you can read it by following the link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-022-01145-w

16 de Agosto, 2022



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