Mixed Analog-Digital Signal Techniques for Wearable Medical Sensors in Healthcare Applications

Sen, Devdip

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Mixed Analog-Digital Signal Techniques for Wearable Medical Sensors in Healthcare Applications

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The ability to miniaturize sensors for healthcare monitoring has made massive strides in the past few years. Recent advancements in the understanding of various biological systems and the technological ability to miniaturize sensors have driven the transformation of contemporary therapeutic and diagnostic techniques in medicine. The current evolutionary trend of technology has demonstrated exceptional promise in providing critical infrastructure for digital health monitoring and advancing the practice of medicine. In this new era of medical care, the diagnosis and treatment plan is strongly influenced by targeted and relevant information, making patients and healthcare providers better informed and better connected. The main aim of this dissertation is to explore mixed-signal techniques for wearable medical sensors. The focus is to establish a theoretical and experimental foundation for wearable sensors for pressure ulcer prevention, and a noninvasive approach towards measuring the partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen. The prevalence of wound problems in an aging population and the need to provide improved patient care have been the driving forces to provide necessary tools for the prevention of wound formation. Pressure ulcers are extremely painful, are slow to heal, and have become a significant burden on the healthcare system, in the most recent year adding $26.8 billion to healthcare costs in the United States. A survey of contemporary commercially available techniques shows a lack of a compact, low-cost solution that is manageable in a hospital setting, for patients who are bed-bound, and those with limited mobility in wheelchairs. The first main contribution of this dissertation describes techniques and prototypes toward the development of a wearable wireless sensor patch for preventing pressure ulcers. Approximately 300,000 neonates are admitted to the neonatal intensive care units in the United States annually. Respiration issues are among the highest risks in the care of premature babies. The partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) is one of the vital signs for monitoring respiratory health. A direct noninvasive technique to measure PaO2 is the partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen (PtcO2). However, there has been little progress towards miniaturizing PtcO2 sensors. The second main contribution of this dissertation describes different prototypes toward the development of a noninvasive wearable monitor to measure transcutaneous oxygen.

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