Normal people don’t need this new tool, but people with paralysis, spina bifida, bladder cancer, or bladder disease that has reached its end stage can use it. When this happens, the bladder often doesn’t work as well, and surgery to rebuild the bladder may be needed. It could make a big difference for them. The sensor device can also help doctors keep an eye on patients all the time from afar. So they can make smarter and faster decisions about treatments.
Guillermo A. Ameer from Northwestern, who helped lead the work, said
To go to the toilet, they often have to use catheters, which are painful and can cause illnesses. We want to get rid of catheters and get around the standard procedures for monitoring bladder function, which are very invasive, very painful, and can only be done in a hospital or clinical setting.
How it was done and the first outcomes
It has several sensors that work together to measure one thing: strain. This new bioelectronic monitor keeps an eye on the bladder. As the bladder fills up, it also gets bigger until it’s packed full. It looks like pressure is being put on the elastic-like object by the stretching. In the same way, the bladder closes to get rid of pressure when it’s full. Because it has Bluetooth built in, the sensors can send data about strain to a computer or smartphone as soon as they pick it up.
