Hands holds the reader to measure the stocking’s pressure. Image courtesy of the University of Edinburgh.
Scottish scientists have developed a low-cost, flexible device that can help prevent blood clots for patients after an operation. Their polymer-based sensor fits underneath bandages and compression stockings like a sticking plaster, and a handheld reader measures whether the bandage is exerting the correct pressure on the body.
The sensor is wireless, thinner, more sensitive, and more flexible than similar devices, so it doesn’t distort the compression garment as it measures the pressure.
“Currently most people who have an operation wake up to find themselves wearing compression stockings, and often they don’t fit well,” said 1 of the inventors, Philip Hands, PhD, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. “Our device is unobtrusive, and with a wave of the handheld antennae near the body you can measure the pressure and adjust the stocking or bandage. We think this simple, cheap device has huge potential.”
According to co-inventor Marc Desmulliez, associate principal (Impact) at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, “Due to its polymer composition, the sensor offers versatility as 1 or more can be positioned anywhere on the body. It could also have broader applications in all sorts of wearable devices, roll up smartphones, and high-performance sports equipment, such as elite swimsuits, where fit is extremely important.”
