Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2024;1463:315-319. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-67458-7_51.
Pressure injuries (PI) are debilitating tissue lesions characterised by slow healing and a high risk of severe infection. These injuries result from continued tissue hypoxia, or low tissue oxygen saturation (StO), which is a consequence of impaired blood circulation caused by continued pressure against tissue. PI result in significant suffering and a substantial financial burden. Therefore, we aim to develop an effective preventive measure. Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at a high risk for PI due to their impaired mobility and lack of sensation to alert them to danger. The aim was to test the feasibility of an alert system based on StO monitoring in persons with SCI using a novel textile-based near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor.Sensors consisted of two emission and two detection points, each point comprising eight fibres each with three light-coupling bends. Textile integration of fibres was achieved by stitching on a mass-production stitching machine. Emission fibres were connected to LEDs of 740 nm and 810 nm. Detection fibres were connected to avalanche photodiodes. Sensors were attached to the skin in the high-PI-risk buttocks area covering the bony prominences of the ischial tuberosity. StO was measured in three healthy subjects and two subjects with SCI during repeated sitting and pressure recovery phases.Our experiments showed decreases in StO in both groups during sitting phases: during low-pressure sitting phases, StO decreased on average -0.32%/min in the healthy subjects and at -1.24%/min in the SCI subjects. During high-pressure sitting, these rates increased to -1.16%/min for the healthy subjects and -2.16%/min for the SCI subjects. During recovery phases, StO returned towards normal values, but did not always reach the initial baseline. No discomfort or skin irritation was observed.These first measurements show physiologically reasonable StO values and demonstrate sufficient comfort while sitting on a sensor with no skin irritation or other adverse effects of sitting on the sensor for over 30 min. The nurses involved were satisfied with the easy-of-use, materials used, and patient safety demonstrated during the study. These results show that it is feasible to develop an alert system for PI prevention using a safe, wearable, textile-based NIRS sensor.
压力性损伤（PI）是一种具有缓慢愈合和严重感染高风险的组织损伤。这些损伤是由持续的组织缺氧或组织氧饱和度（StO）降低引起的，这是由于持续的压力对组织造成的血液循环受损所致。PI 会导致严重的痛苦和巨大的经济负担。因此，我们旨在开发一种有效的预防措施。脊髓损伤（SCI）患者由于活动受限和缺乏对危险的感知，因此患 PI 的风险很高。目的是使用新型基于纺织品的近红外光谱（NIRS）传感器测试基于 StO 监测的 SCI 患者警报系统的可行性。传感器由两个发射点和两个检测点组成，每个点由八个光纤组成，每个光纤有三个光耦合弯。通过在大规模生产缝纫机上缝合来实现纤维的纺织集成。发射光纤连接到 740nm 和 810nm 的 LED。检测光纤连接到雪崩光电二极管。传感器附着在高 PI 风险的臀部区域的皮肤上，覆盖坐骨结节的骨性突起。在三个健康受试者和两个 SCI 受试者中测量了重复坐姿和压力恢复阶段的 StO。我们的实验表明，两组在坐姿阶段的 StO 都有下降：在低压力坐姿阶段，健康受试者的 StO 平均每分钟下降-0.32%，而 SCI 受试者的 StO 每分钟下降-1.24%。在高压力坐姿期间，健康受试者的速度增加到每分钟-1.16%，而 SCI 受试者的速度增加到每分钟-2.16%。在恢复阶段，StO 恢复到正常水平，但并非总是恢复到初始基线。没有观察到不适或皮肤刺激。这些首次测量结果显示出合理的 StO 值，并证明了在传感器上舒适地坐下时的舒适性，而不会因在传感器上坐下超过 30 分钟而引起皮肤刺激或其他不良反应。参与的护士对研究过程中表现出的易用性、使用的材料和患者安全性感到满意。这些结果表明，使用安全、可穿戴的基于纺织品的 NIRS 传感器开发 PI 预防警报系统是可行的。
