University of California San Diego researchers have created a skin patch that is worn on the neck to continuously monitor blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the user's glucose, lactate, alcohol or caffeine levels.
UCSD researchers said the device could benefit individuals who are managing both high blood pressure and diabetes, especially because they are at high risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, according to the study published this month in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
"This type of wearable would be very helpful for people with underlying medical conditions to monitor their own health on a regular basis," said Lu Yin, a nanoengineering PhD student at UCSD and co-first author of the study. "It would also serve as a great tool for remote patient monitoring, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people are minimizing in-person visits to the clinic."
A single wearable skin patch that can perform multiple functions would also offer a convenient alternative for patients in intensive care units, including infants in the NICU, who require constant monitoring of their blood pressure and other signs.