Tiny Electronic Implants Monitor Brain Injury, then Melt Away
From: Medical Design Technology - 01/19/2016

A new class of small, thin electronic sensors can monitor temperature and
pressure within the skull - crucial health parameters after a brain injury or
surgery - then melt away when they are no longer needed, eliminating the need
for additional surgery to remove the monitors and reducing the risk of
infection and hemorrhage.

After a traumatic brain injury or brain surgery, it is crucial to monitor the
patient for swelling and pressure on the brain. Current monitoring technology
is bulky and invasive, John A. Rogers, a professor of materials science and
engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said, and the
wires restrict the patent's movement and hamper physical therapy as they
recover. Because they require continuous, hard-wired access into the head,
such implants also carry the risk of allergic reactions, infection and
hemorrhage, and even could exacerbate the inflammation they are meant to
monitor.

The researchers are moving toward human trials for this technology, as well
as extending its functionality for other biomedical applications.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/01/tiny-electronic-implants-monitor-brain-injury-then-melt-away

Links:
John A. Rogers
http://www.chemistry.illinois.edu/faculty/John_Rogers.html

Rogers Research Group
http://rogers.matse.illinois.edu

Researchers Develop Wireless Sensors Designed to Monitor the Brain
http://www.ptproductsonline.com/2016/01/researchers-develop-wireless-sensors-designed-monitor-brain