Making the Case: E-Textiles for Patient Monitoring
Advancements in patient monitoring have become more innovative as the years go on. How have and how can e-textiles play a part in this growth?
According to an article written by Katie Hobbins for Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry Online, wear time and conformability, as well as comfortability, are the main pain points in medical wearables. Especially, when it comes to devices that monitor patients. When we are discussing the longevity of wearable devices, the industry has looked to stronger adhesives that can be worn for up to one month at a time. However, these devices are typically adhered directly onto the patient’s skin and may not work as effectively when bent or stretched.
Our LEL was cited in this article as a viable solution to the problem. While the LEL cannot be adhered directly to the skin, the technology consists of flat circuitry. So, it can be embedded into, say, a t-shirt or other wearable device. The low-resistance conductors in the LEL do not change resistance when stretched, which is something few technologies on the market have been able to achieve with success.
Additionally, with this approach to wearable device design, there is no need for removal by a medical professional like there is with an adhesive monitor. The patient wears the article of clothing when directed, and washes it as needed. The LEL shows acceptable amounts of degradation with 50 cycles in cold water, but you would not need to wash the garment more than five times during its use. With most adhesive monitors, you cannot bathe for 24 hours after application, and it is advised that showers be limited and brief. Suffice to say, this method of patient monitoring involves a lifestyle change that is not necessary with a shirt or other removable device.
There are several creative patient monitoring solutions on the market that involve conductive ink on TPU. While they are certainly innovative, their performance is limited. We conducted an internal study on our LEL for health and wellness wearables and found a 40 percent higher antenna performance than the conductive ink TPU alternatives. This means that our solution was able to better monitor and track bodily movements and changes—which is essential when it comes to obtaining vital data to create positive outcomes in health.
A hard-soft connection is a necessity in remote patient monitoring. A healthcare provider should be able to take a wearable device and plug it into a computer via USB, JST, or similar connector to retrieve data. The LEL provides a robust, reliable, and efficient connection between hard and soft components. These interconnects and integrated components can be customized to the individual needs of the patient and provider. Modularity is huge.
Now, let’s say a physician wanted to include added comfort in the wearable garment. The LEL has heating capabilities to keep the patient warm if they are wearing the garment in cold temperatures—participating in winter sports, perhaps. This is something the adhesive solutions cannot achieve, but they are not necessarily built for that purpose either. This added feature is purely a luxury that can be incorporated into the garment should the patient request it.
Remote patient monitoring is a multi-faceted application, but one that e-textiles can fit seamlessly.
View our Nominal Data Sheet here to learn more about the LEL capabilities.
Other posts you might enjoy:
What Are Flexible Electronics?
E-Textiles in Therapeutic Applications