A wearable microwave instrument can detect and monitor traumatic abdominal injuries in a porcine model
Journal article, 2021
Abdominal injury is a frequent cause of death for trauma patients, and early recognition is essential to limit fatalities. There is a need for a wearable sensor system for prehospital settings that can detect and monitor bleeding in the abdomen (hemoperitoneum). This study evaluates the potential for microwave technology to fill that gap. A simple prototype of a wearable microwave sensor was constructed using eight antennas. A realistic porcine model of hemoperitoneum was developed using anesthetized pigs. Ten animals were measured at healthy state and at two sizes of bleeding. Statistical tests and a machine learning method were used to evaluate blood detection sensitivity. All subjects presented similar changes due to accumulation of blood, which dampened the microwave signal (p< 0.05). The machine learning analysis yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.93, showing 100% sensitivity at 90% specificity. Large inter-individual variability of the healthy state signal complicated differentiation of bleedings from healthy state. A wearable microwave instrument has potential for accurate detection and monitoring of hemoperitoneum, with automated analysis making the instrument easy-to-use. Future hardware development is necessary to suppress measurement system variability and enable detection of smaller bleedings.
Author
Stefan Candefjord
Chalmers, Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers (SAFER)
Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing and Biomedical Engineering
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Linh Nguyen
Student at Chalmers
Ruben Buendia
Chalmers, Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers (SAFER)
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing and Biomedical Engineering
Marianne Oropeza-Moe
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Nina Gjerde Andersen
Stavanger University Hospital
Andreas Fhager
Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing and Biomedical Engineering
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Mikael Persson
Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing and Biomedical Engineering
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Mikael Elam
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Nils Petter Oveland
Stavanger University Hospital
University of Stavanger
Scientific Reports
2045-2322 (ISSN) 20452322 (eISSN)
Vol. 11 1 23220Subject Categories
Medical Laboratory and Measurements Technologies
Other Medical Engineering
Biomedical Laboratory Science/Technology
DOI
10.1038/s41598-021-02008-5
PubMed
34853326