Currently, patients with conditions such as heart failure, pneumonia, or respiratory distress often require multiple imaging procedures that are intermittent, disruptive, and involve high levels of radiation. Now, researchers have introduced a groundbreaking wearable device capable of continuously scanning the lungs and heart of hospitalized patients while they rest in bed, offering a revolutionary alternative to traditional CT scans.

Developed by researchers at the University of Bath (Bath, UK) in collaboration with technology company Netrix (Lublin, Poland), this belt-like device is attached around a patient's chest and uses ultrasound technology to function similarly to a CT scanner. Unlike conventional imaging methods that provide a single snapshot, the device generates a continuous series of dynamic, high-resolution images of the heart, lungs, and internal organs over time. This allows doctors to gain deeper insights into the patient's condition. The wearable device can be used while the patient remains in bed, reducing the need for repeated trips to radiology and minimizing exposure to ionizing radiation. As detailed in a paper published in IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, the device enables non-invasive, bedside monitoring that reduces transport needs, enhances comfort, and facilitates earlier detection of deterioration or recovery.

The sensor array, which is soft and skin-conforming, is placed directly on the patient's chest and utilizes advanced ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) to generate real-time images of the heart and lungs. This continuous tracking of organ function and structure can span several hours or even days. Designed with patient comfort in mind, the device uses flexible materials that allow for long-term wear, while its wireless data transmission capability enables integration with hospital monitoring systems. Future versions of the device may incorporate AI-assisted analysis, helping clinicians identify early warning signs before they are visible to the naked eye. This technology could also extend to remote monitoring in home care, especially for elderly patients or those with chronic cardiopulmonary conditions. Furthermore, it has the potential to reduce healthcare burdens by preventing unnecessary hospital admissions through early intervention.

The research team is currently planning clinical trials in collaboration with partner hospitals to refine the technology for regulatory approval. Initial testing was conducted on healthy male volunteers, due to the more uniform nature of male chests. Moving forward, the team plans to include female participants to address challenges related to imaging through breast tissue, as well as to begin testing with patients suffering from heart and lung conditions such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and lung edema. Potential future developments could enhance image resolution by incorporating additional ultrasound channels, and further design innovations could enable bedside or in-ambulance brain imaging, which could prove critical for stroke monitoring and treatment.

“This could fundamentally change how we monitor patients in critical care or post-surgical settings. The imaging quality of the device can be on par with an X-ray or CT scan, but instead of a single snapshot, we can monitor how the lungs and heart behave over time, which is far more informative when managing dynamic conditions,” said Professor Manuch Soleimani, lead author of the research paper, is based in Bath’s Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering and leads the University’s Engineering Tomography Lab. “Human testing has shown the technology to be reliable, and it has the potential to save resource too. Low cost, safe, and easy to operate monitoring of this kind is currently needed by a healthcare professional for intensive care unit (ICU). The use of advanced image reconstruction as well as deep learning algorithms enable real-time imaging results in this work. The fact it can be comfortably worn in bed and gives a complete picture of the organs in the chest means it could also help to determine treatments including how much ventilation assistance patients need.”

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