We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ARAB HEALTH - INFORMA

Download Mobile App




Novel Sensory System Enables Real-Time Intra-Articular Pressure Monitoring

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 25 Nov 2024
Print article
Image: Schematic diagram of intra-articular pressure detection using a sensory system in a sheep model (Photo courtesy of Science China Press)
Image: Schematic diagram of intra-articular pressure detection using a sensory system in a sheep model (Photo courtesy of Science China Press)

Knee replacement surgery is a widely performed procedure to relieve knee pain and restore joint function, with over one million surgeries conducted annually. However, 10%-20% of patients remain dissatisfied with the results, and this rate continues to rise. Postoperative complications often stem from slight interosseous angle deviations (<1°) and large joint gaps, which occur due to pressure imbalances on the tibial plateau. To address this, real-time intra-articular pressure monitoring can help correct pressure imbalances during surgery, ensuring precise joint alignment. However, intra-articular pressure monitoring presents challenges due to the highly humid joint cavity filled with synovial fluid and the narrow, curved space of the joint.

Flexible iontronic pressure sensors, which are soft, thin, and highly sensitive, are ideal for intra-articular pressure sensing. These sensors also have a wide working range. However, the mechanical and electrical properties of ionogels, the active materials used in these sensors, are highly sensitive to humidity changes due to their hygroscopic nature. This humidity sensitivity causes signal distortion and drift, making them unsuitable for implantable applications. Furthermore, ionogels are often too weak to withstand the high pressure needed for intra-articular pressure measurement.

Now, a research team from Southern University of Science and Technology (Shenzhen, China) has developed a non-hygroscopic, strong, and durable ionogel. Ionogels are typically hydrophobic because of the high polarity of ions, but this team synthesized the material by inducing a hydrophobicity transition—the reagents are hydrophilic, but the final product is hydrophobic. This new ionogel maintains stable mechanical and electrical properties regardless of ambient humidity. A flexible pressure sensor array made from this ionogel, featuring a stretchable island-bridge structure, demonstrates resistance to both humidity and lateral strain.

The ionogel's high modulus and strength enable it to provide highly sensitive and linear responses across a wide pressure range of 0-2 MPa, offering exceptional pressure and angular resolution. The team further tested the sensor arrays in an in vivo sheep model, successfully monitoring intra-articular pressure in real-time through a data acquisition system. Published in National Science Review, this research suggests that such sensory systems could be valuable for various implantable applications.

Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
New
LED Examination Lamp
Clarity 50 LED
New
Mobile Barrier
Tilted Mobile Leaded Barrier

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The UbiqVue 2A Multiparameter System is based around a wearable ciosensor with chest-based SpO2 (Photo courtesy of LifeSignals)

Multiparameter System Featuring Wearable Biosensor Enables Continuous, Near Real-Time Patient Monitoring

A novel cloud-based system featuring a wearable biosensor with chest-based SpO2 monitoring enables continuous patient monitoring across both hospital and out-of-hospital care settings. The UbiqVue 2A... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The portable biosensor platform uses printed electrochemical sensors for the rapid, selective detection of Staphylococcus aureus (Photo courtesy of AIMPLAS)

Portable Biosensor Platform to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections

Approximately 4 million patients in the European Union acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections each year, with around 37,000 deaths directly resulting from these infections,... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The acoustic pipette uses sound waves to test for biomarkers in blood (Photo courtesy of Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder)

Handheld, Sound-Based Diagnostic System Delivers Bedside Blood Test Results in An Hour

Patients who go to a doctor for a blood test often have to contend with a needle and syringe, followed by a long wait—sometimes hours or even days—for lab results. Scientists have been working hard to... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.