Wearable, Luminescent Oxygen Sensor for Transcutaneous Oxygen Monitoring

Abstract

We present a new concept for a wearable oxygen (O-2) sensor for transcutaneous O-2 pressure (tcpO(2)) monitoring by combining the technologies of luminescent gas sensing and wearable devices. O-2 monitoring has been exhaustively studied given its central role in diagnosing various diseases. The ability to quantify the physiological distribution and real-time dynamics of O-2 from the subcellular to the macroscopic level is required to fully understand mechanisms associated with both normal physiological and pathological conditions. Despite its profound biological and clinical importance, few effective methods exist for non invasively quantifying O-2 in a physiological setting. The wearable sensor developed here consists of three components: a luminescent sensing film attached onto skin by a carbon tape, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) as a light source, and an organic photodiode (OPD) as a light detector. All the components are solution-processable and integrated on a plane in a bandage-like configuration. To verify the performance, tcpO(2) variations by pressure-induced occlusion were measured in the lower arm and a thumb by the wearable sensor, and the results were comparable to those measured by a commercial instrument. In addition to its flexibility, other features of this sensor render it a potential low-cost solution for the simultaneous monitoring of tcpO(2) in any part of a body.