[Bioelectrode jellies for long-term monitoring (author's transl)].

The properties of 18 electrode jellies were investigated: electrical conductivity, ionic content, pH, skin irritation, and skin impedance reduction with different skin preparations, motion artifact, electrochemical noise with different electrode material, susceptibility to drying, ease of handling, and cost. There were significant differences of performance. Skin compatibility after 8 h ranged from "no irritation" to "severely irritating". A skin irritation most likely occurred with decornifying skin preparation. The specific skin impedance 24 min after the application ranged from 15 k omega . cm2 to 125 k omega . cm2. The motion artifacts differed up to 250%. All jellies produced negligible noise with Ag/AgCl and stainless steel electrodes. However, with gold and silver electrodes the noise amounted to 19 and 23 mu V. The NaCl content was correlated to the skin irritation and the impedance reduction. The impedance reduction correlated inversely to the skin compatibility and the motion artifact. Guidelines for the selection of an appropriate jelly in ergonomic long-term monitoring are given.