Miniscule Pressure Sensor Detects Full Bladders

An innovative bladder pressure sensor can aid people with neurological problems that cause difficulties with urination and incontinence control.

Developed by researchers at SINTEF (Trondheim, Norway), the new sensor is inserted and positioned into the bladder via the skin. While the prototype model is connected externally via a thin wire, future models will be wireless, transmitting data to a PC or even to a Smartphone. In that way, any increase in pressure could be detected even when patients are at home, avoiding resource-intensive and uncomfortable examinations in hospital.

Preliminary trials of the new sensor are being carried out on three patients at Sunnaas Hospital (Oslo, Norway) who suffered a spinal injury, damaging the nerve supply to the bladder so that they cannot tell when their bladder is full and needs to be emptied. This then creates an excessively high pressure on the bladder, which affects the kidneys and can lead to damage that may be life threatening. The study will be eventually expanded to include 20–30 patients.

“Measuring pressure in the bladder is essential in order to see whether an operation is necessary, or whether the condition can be treated with medication. The measurements reveal how the bladder fills and empties,” said Thomas Glott, MD, of Sunnaas Hospital. ”The sensor is positioned without causing discomfort to the patient, who can then move about normally without the disruptive catheter, and the risk of infection is reduced.”

“Working with Sunnaas has given us a great chance to try out our technology on patients. It has also provided a useful insight into other medical applications,” said Ingelin Clausen, PhD, of the SINTEF MiNaLab. “Our long-term aim is to develop a method of implanting the sensor more permanently, since many patients need measurements to be taken regularly. These would be sensors that could be implanted for several months or years.”

Currently, bladder pressure measurements are taken using a catheter that is inserted into the urethra so that the bladder can be filled with water. This is uncomfortable for the patient, and since the bladder is filled with saline at an unnaturally high speed, the method is also unreliable.

Related Links:
SINTEF
Sunnaas Hospital