A team of researchers has developed a new wireless “bio-patch” that can provide an early warning when there are signs a patient’s breast reconstruction surgery may have not been a success.
The patch, which is 1.8 cm x 1.1 cm, is attached to patients for two days following breast reconstruction surgery and can continuously monitor oxygen saturation in transferred tissue. This breakthrough is part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council-funded Smart Sensing for Surgery project.
“Poor blood supply or failure of breast reconstruction surgery can have a major impact on a breast cancer patient’s recovery, prognosis and mental wellbeing,” Guang-Zhong Yang, leader of the Smart Sensing for Surgery project, said in a news release from Imperial College London. “Clinical signs of failure often occur late and patients may be returned to the operating room on clinical suspicion.”
This path, Yang explained, addresses that problem by warning clinicians when signs of potential failure or detected, giving patients an “increased piece of mind” and giving providers more time to react to any issues.
“The Smart Sensing for Surgery project is an excellent example of how engineers and clinicians can come together to develop ‘smart’ solutions that have huge potential not just to enhance patient health and wellbeing but also to help reduce the burden on healthcare resources,” Yang said in the same news release.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.