Company insight
The biosignal-monitoring tech that the market needs
The surge in outpatient monitoring demands comfortable, long-term patches for remote patient care. Self-adhesive dry electrode technology from DuPont Liveo provides stable biosignal tracking with resistive conductivity, skin-friendly adhesion and long-term viability.
utpatient monitoring is expected to play an increasingly important role in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of conditions that require reliable long-term tracking of critical biosignals. Driven by trends related to an aging population, cardiovascular disease and obesity, the need for medical devices that integrate biosensors is expected to grow as much as 15–20% per year.
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Smart skin patches are increasingly used in wearable outpatient monitoring devices because they align with patient expectations for comfort, promoting consistent use. To support these applications, the market is calling for development of long-wear patches for remote patient-monitoring; patches that remain comfortable over the required wear time while ensuring high data quality.
Addressing existing technology shortfalls “Hydrogels and silver/silver chloride electrodes have been the gold-standard technologies used in short-term monitoring, and acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) have dominated the fixation of the patch to the patient’s skin to ensure long- term wear,” said DuPont Liveo EMEA regional marketing manager Michele Vigliotti. “However, these technologies have shortfalls the industry seeks to overcome.” Hydrogels can dry out after a few hours or days, negatively impacting biosignal quality as the interface with the skin deteriorates. And skin irritation from sweating, occlusion or irritants in the adhesive is a frequent complaint. The industry needs technology that is reliable, biocompatible and non-irritating. Patients, understandably, dislike materials that leave residues or a sticky, gooey, wet feeling on their skin, especially for longer periods. This not only feels unpleasant, but it also jeopardises compliance. Patients want skin-like technologies that are miniaturised,
Patch concept with DuPont Liveo Self-Adhesive Dry Electrode and electronics from STMicroelectronics.
conformal and flexible – technologies they can apply and forget. To prevent water evaporation and drying, hydrogel electrodes often must be protected by expensive multilayer packaging. Once a package containing several electrodes is opened, the shelf life may drop to a couple of days, resulting in considerable waste if all electrodes cannot be used promptly. The industry is looking for technology that can be packaged cost-effectively and will remain viable longer outside its packaging. “Based on this feedback, DuPont has developed a new silicone-based adhesive dry electrode that enables long-term outpatient biosignal monitoring with stable data quality and high patient comfort,” Vigliotti said.
Just what the doctor (and patient) ordered Combining the key benefits of silicone technology with electrically conductive properties, DuPont Liveo self-adhesive dry electrode technology is a silicone-based thermoset adhesive for electrical biosignal sensing and transfer. It is intended for use as a skin electrode for electric biosignal- monitoring applications that require good skin conformability, no drying over time, repositionability with gentle adhesion and atraumatic removal. It can be used in single electrodes for short-term monitoring or in medical wearable patches for long-term monitoring (i.e., seven or more days).
Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
Features and benefits of the new DuPont Liveo self-adhesive dry electrode technology include: ■
Resistive electrical conductivity: Resistive electrodes are much more reliable than capacitive electrodes, which are prone to noise and to motion and muscle artifacts.
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Gentleness of soft skin silicone adhesives used in wound care, which are ideal for all kinds of skin profiles – especially delicate skin of babies or the elderly – and can be removed and repositioned without damaging skin.
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Good conformability to skin, creating an optimised interface for high-quality biosignal-sensing.
Inertness when used as an electrode: Performance remains stable – regardless of the environment – allowing patients to lead normal lives while wearing the electrode, as it is resistant to water and perspiration and adapts to body stretches.
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Shelf stability for as long as several years without need for expensive packaging.
Interest in this technology has catalysed opportunities to innovate alongside leading medical device partners. DuPont Liveo Healthcare Solutions – working with the DuPont Silicon Valley Technology Center (SVTC) – has developed an ecosystem in which the company collaborates with key partners, such as STMicroelctronics, to leverage healthcare and electronics expertise, leading to innovative solutions and fast prototyping for cutting-edge medical devices. This emphasis on partnership has led to medical patch concepts for monitoring, diagnostics and treatment.
By providing proven silicone technology; innovative, high-performance materials; application expertise; and regulatory support, DuPont Liveo helps enable smarter healthcare and positive patient outcomes. ●
www.liveo.dupont.com 79
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