Medical Design Briefs - October 2022 - 37

n Tiny Optical Sensors
Could End Hospital Bed
Sores
n Wireless Activation of
Smart bed sensors could stop pressure
sores. (Credit: University of South
Australia)
Scientists have designed
tiny smart bed sensors embedded
in hospital mattresses
could put an end to
painful and potentially lifethreatening
pressure sores,
thanks to new technology.
The minute optical fiber sensors
can be attached to the
upper surface of a mattress to monitor movement and record
heart and respiratory rates.
The unobtrusive sensors can detect when a hospital patient
turns over, leaves a bed, or just remains motionless, picking up
their breathing. Nurses can therefore be remotely alerted if a
patient has not moved within a couple of hours, prompting
them to adjust the patient's position.
Unlike the sensors that many people wear on their wrists to
monitor physical activity and physiological signs, the optical fiber
sensors are embedded in the same space as a person, but
not on them physically. The optical fiber sensors are sensitive
enough to record heart and respiration rates and can detect
whether a person is in the bed, even if they remain stationary
for long periods.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1022/optical.
Microfluidic platform detects hepatitis C.
(Credit: Alex Dolce)
n Low-Cost Device Rapidly
Detects Hepatitis C
Researchers have designed
a microfluidic platform that
incorporates different steps
that are usually performed
by trained personnel in sophisticated
lab settings on a
single platform. The entire
virus detection process is executed
inside a uniquely designed, inexpensive, disposable,
and self-driven microfluidic chip.
The user-friendly device is portable and provides a visual
confirmation using only a small amount of sample and few reagents.
The fully automated sample-in-answer-out molecular
diagnostic setup rapidly detects hepatitis C virus in about 45
minutes. The technology uses relatively inexpensive and reusable
equipment costing about $50 for sample processing and
disease detection. The disposable microfluidic chip also offers
shorter times for a reliable diagnosis and costs about $2.
The setup consists of an automated disposable microfluidic
chip, a small surface heater, and a reusable magnetic actuation
platform. The compact microfluidic chip enables nucleic
acid isolation, purification, amplification, and colorimetric detection
of the amplified product. The system utilizes a dye to
detect the amplification product with the naked eye. The dye
changes color from orange to green in the presence of doublestranded
DNA, resulting in easy analysis without the need for
fluorescent imaging.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1022/hepatitis.
Medical Design Briefs, October 2022
Targeted Brain Circuits
A research team has created
wireless technology to remoteFlies
were injected with iron nanoparticles
to activate
the neurons.
(Credit: C. Sebesta and J. Robinson/
Rice University)
ly activate specific brain circuits
in fruit flies in under one
second. The team used magnetic
signals to activate targeted
neurons that controlled the
body position of freely moving
fruit flies in an enclosure.
The researchers used genetic
engineering to express a special heat-sensitive ion channel in
neurons that cause flies to partially spread their wings, a common
mating gesture. The researchers then injected magnetic
nanoparticles that could be heated with an applied magnetic
field. An overhead camera watched flies as they roamed freely
about an enclosure atop an electromagnet.
By changing the magnet's field in a specified way, the researchers
could heat the nanoparticles and activate the neurons.
An analysis of video from the experiments showed flies with the
genetic modifications assumed the wing-spread posture within
approximately half a second of the magnetic field change.
The team is working toward a goal of partially restoring vision
to patients who are blind.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1022/wireless.
n Dissolving Implantable
Relieves Pain
A team of researchers has
developed a small, soft, flexible
implant that relieves pain
on demand and without the
use of drugs. The first-of-itsAt
its widest point, the tiny device is
just 5 mm wide. One end is curled into
a cuff that softly wraps around a single
nerve. (Credit: Northwestern)
kind device could provide a
much-needed alternative to
opioids and other highly addictive
medications.
The biocompatible, water- soluble device works by softly wrapping
around nerves to deliver precise, targeted cooling, which
numbs nerves and blocks pain signals to the brain. An external
pump enables the user to remotely activate the device and then
increase or decrease its intensity. After the device is no longer
needed, it naturally absorbs into the body - bypassing the need
for surgical extraction.
The device leverages evaporation. Similar to how evaporating
sweat cools the body, the device contains a liquid coolant
that is induced to evaporate at the specific location of a sensory
nerve. To induce the cooling effect, the device contains tiny
micro fluidic channels. One channel contains the liquid coolant
(perfluoropentane), which is already clinically approved as an
ultrasound contrast agent and for pressurized inhalers. A second
channel contains dry nitrogen, an inert gas. When the liquid and
gas flow into a shared chamber, a reaction occurs that causes the
liquid to promptly evaporate. Simultaneously, a tiny integrated
sensor monitors the temperature of the nerve to ensure that it's
not getting too cold, which could cause tissue damage.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1022/pain.
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
37
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Medical Design Briefs - October 2022

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