What are the medical sensors? Applications of sensors in the medical field

With the advent of the intelligent Internet, our lives are becoming more intelligent, and in the healthcare industry, the efficient and accurate operation of medical devices is critical because medical devices are essential to the convenience and reliability of every medical process. In the medical field, various physical, chemical and biological sensors are designed and produced into equipment and instruments to measure and collect various physiological indicators of the human body.

Proteus sensors

While in the stomach, the Proteus sensor is fully in contact with gastric juices and transmits unique signals based on the timing of ingestion. These signals are transmitted through body tissues to a battery-operated patch on the skin, which can detect a variety of signals as well as physiological and behavioral indicators, such as heart rate, position and activity. Of course, in the end, this Proteus type of sensor will flow out of the body like a high-fiber food, and will generally last seven days.

Pressure sensor

A pressure sensor is a transducer that converts force or gravity into an electrical signal. Pressure sensor applications in medicine are called medical pressure sensors, and they must be highly accurate and packed in a compact package to be portable, especially when the device is to be directly connected to the patient. If the sensor is used in a medical device integrated monitoring instrument, use standard packaging materials such as stainless steel and anodized aluminum. If the device is in direct contact with human bodies or liquids, special stainless steel or disposable sensors that can be autoclaved can be used.

Medical pressure sensors were initially used to monitor bed load, and now small pressure sensors are being used in areas prone to human error, such as infusion pumps for drug administration. In order to regulate the flow rate as accurately as possible and to facilitate the nurse's monitoring at any time, pressure sensors are applied to infusion pumps. This sensor can accurately measure the weight of the infusion bag, and when the liquid weight is different from the pre-set value, the sensor will immediately send a warning message to the connected device and communicate with the controller in time.

Non-contact temperature sensor

In general, non-contact thermometers can measure heat emitted from a distant source of infrared radiation. In the absence of an explicit fiber-optic temperature sensor or an infrared fiber-optic and infrared sensor combination permit, the non-contact surface has a clear line of sight. This could help determine the surface temperature of fast-moving objects and even measure temperature in narrow places and electromagnetic fields. AgClxBr1-X is considered the best choice for measurement at low temperatures. These fibers are characterized as flexible, insoluble in water, and non-toxic. For this reason, silver halide red outer optical fibers are used in infrared spectroscopy, as well as in radiation measurement and thermal imaging for industrial and medical applications.

Biosensor

Biosensors are sensitive to biological matter and convert its concentration into electrical signals for detection, It is an analytical tool composed of immobilized biosensitive materials as recognition elements (including enzymes, antibodies, antigens, microorganisms, cells, tissues, nucleic acids and other bioactive substances) and appropriate physicochemical transducers (such as oxygen electrodes, phototubes, field effect tubes, piezoelectric crystals, etc.) and signal amplification devices.

In clinical medicine, enzyme electrode is the first developed and most used sensor. Microbial sensors can be made by using microorganisms with different biological characteristics instead of enzymes. Biosensors have been used to monitor a variety of bacteria, viruses and their toxins. A typical product of biosensors for drug analysis is the SPR biosensor, which is a surface film resonance analysis, a technique for real-time determination of biomolecular binding.

Implantable sensor

Implantable sensors are small, lightweight, and compatible with the body, while also requiring very little power. What's more, they can't decay over time.

The power requirement is one of the main challenges for the normal operation of implantable sensors. Sensors that do not require power to function are perfect, but there are no such sensors on the market. Piezoelectric polymer sensors are small in size, high in reliability, do not require external power and can work continuously for a long time. Such sensors can be used in pacemakers that monitor patient activity, as shown in the image below, where heart rate changes can be monitored in real time through implantable sensors. For example, a large aneurysm in the abdomen may require the removal of a delicate artery and its replacement with a synthetic tubular organ. In this case, a sensor can be implanted during the procedure to monitor the pressure leakage at the surgical site.

Other uses of sensors in healthcare

Nowadays, sensors have been widely used in various monitoring instruments. Monitors are used in diagnostic Settings (such as operating rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care units, intensive care units and, increasingly, the patient's home) to monitor and display a variety of key conditions in the patient's body, including electrocardiogram, pulse oxygen saturation, blood pressure, respiration and temperature. The monitor can be an independent instrument or a multi-parameter instrument.

The function of the oxygen generator is to reduce the nitrogen delivered to the patient's air, while increasing the proportion of oxygen. Oxygen generators are used for patients who cannot absorb oxygen smoothly into the blood, such as some lung patients. Since the air flow sensor used in the oxygen generator must be able to measure the ultra-low flow rate, such as the need to measure the flow of 0.1 cubic centimeters, the air flow sensor can be used to detect when the patient begins to exhale (that is, when the air flow should be reduced), so that the patient can breathe easily and feel comfortable.

Low pressure and ultra-low pressure plasticized silicon pressure sensors detect the moment the patient begins to inhale in order to deliver oxygen effectively and efficiently, which not only reduces the response time of the system, but also avoids the waste caused by supplying oxygen when the patient is not inhaling. Therefore, the operation efficiency of the oxygen generator can be improved without the need for a bulky oxygen generator. Small volume oxygen generator, less power consumption, easy to carry, this stainless steel dielectric isolation type pressure sensor can also detect the pressure of the buffer tank, and can feedback signals to the compressor, so that the compressor to maintain a moderate pressure.