Digital 'smart' plaster that sends alerts to doctors goes on trial

Digital 'smart' plaster that sends alerts to doctors goes on trial

By: The Times
November 2, 2009

A “digital plaster” that is stuck to a patient’s body to track vital signs such as heart rate and breathing and then send alerts to doctors is being tested in a British hospital. The groundbreaking technology, which is lightweight, low-powered and portable, is designed to provide round-the-clock monitoring of patients.

The first clinical trial is being carried out at St Mary’s Hospital, West London, to demonstrate that the physiological data is of the required accuracy and can be gathered continuously from the wearer on hand-held computers. The plaster, which is the size of a mobile phone, is disposable and can be worn for a few days at a time. Silicon chip sensors within it include electrocardiogram pads to track heart activity, a thermometer and a motion sensor to monitor breathing patterns.

The development team, based at Imperial College London, is also working on semi-conductors that can measure other key signs such as blood pressure.

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