title: Body-monitoring and health supervision by means of optical fiber-based sensing systems in medical textiles.
abstract: Long-term monitoring with optical fibers has moved into the focus of attention due to the applicability for medical measurements. Within this Review, setups of flexible, unobtrusive body-monitoring systems based on optical fibers and the respective measured vital parameters are in focus. Optical principles are discussed as well as the interaction of light with tissue. Optical fiber-based sensors that are already used in first trials are primarily selected for the section on possible applications. These medical textiles include the supervision of respiration, cardiac output, blood pressure, blood flow and its saturation with hemoglobin as well as oxygen, pressure, shear stress, mobility, gait, temperature, and electrolyte balance. The implementation of these sensor concepts prompts the development of wearable smart textiles. Thus, current sensing techniques and possibilities within photonic textiles are reviewed leading to multiparameter designs. Evaluation of these designs should show the great potential of optical fibers for the introduction into textiles especially due to the benefit of immunity to electromagnetic radiation. Still, further improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio is often necessary to develop a commercial monitoring system.
authors.affiliation: Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Protection and Physiology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9016 St., Gallen, Switzerland; ETH Zurich, Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Gloriastrasse 35, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Brit M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Quandt
authors.forename: Lukas J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: Luciano F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Boesel
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Gian-Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Bona
authors.forename: René M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D001831:Body Temperature; D004867:Equipment Design; D005684:Gait; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D055100:Optical Fibers; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013784:Textiles; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: fiber optic sensors; health-care monitoring; long-term monitoring; smart textiles; wearable systems