Dissolvable Brain Sensors Disintegrate Once Their Job Is Done
Dr. Rory Murphy, a neurosurgeon at Washington University School of Medicine, deals with traumatic brain injury constantly, from gunshot wounds to blunt force trauma to blood clots. These injuries kill roughly 50,000 people in the U.S. every year, often because the brain swells and cuts off its own blood and oxygen supply.
To catch that swelling early, surgeons need a reliable way to monitor pressure inside a patient’s skull. The sensors available today work, but they’re bulky and have to be surgically removed once the patient recovers.
A new class of dissolvable brain sensors could change that. The devices can measure pressure, temperature, and more, then safely dissolve and get absorbed into the body once they’ve done their job, no second surgery required.