Ultrasound stickers in the works to help monitor patients

Researchers hope wearable patches can give early indications if condition worsens

- Lee Li Ying Correspondent

The wearable ultrasound stickers being developed can stay on the skin of patients as they go about their daily lives, and provide continuous imaging of a patient's internal organs for up to 48 hours.

(ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI)

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are working together to develop wearable ultrasound stickers that can provide continuous imaging of a patient's internal organs for up to 48 hours.

Traditionally, ultrasound images are captured by trained technicians who would place a handheld probe on the skin with a layer of gel. The probe sends high-frequency sound waves into the body and captures the returning echoes to form real-time images.

The researchers hope the stickers, which can stay on the skin of patients as they go about their daily lives, can help monitor chronic conditions such as heart failure and give early indications if their condition deteriorates.

These efforts are part of a multi-million-dollar and multiyear initiative supported by the National Research Foundation, called Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care, or WITEC, which is part of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.