This new electrode has the potential to deliver care in a more convenient manner for patients and clinicians.
TORONTO–A team from the KITE Research Institute at UHN created an electrode for functional electrical stimulation that can be used while completely dry.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a treatment that uses electric currents to activate specific muscles and nerves. It is often used to help patients suffering from paralysis regain movement in the affected area.
FES is delivered through electrodes that typically need to be wet in order to operate which can be challenging for patients and caregivers.
The team at KITE designed and tested an electrode that works while dry and found it was just as effective as its wetter counterparts.
The results of their tests, which were published in a special ICAIR edition of Biomedical Engineering Online, could be used to create clothing that will utilize this new electrode to deliver stimulation in a more convenient manner for patients and clinicians.
KITE trainee and the paper’s first author Melissa Marquez Chin sat down with the ICAIR organizing committee to discuss the device.
Which patient groups are most affected by this? This could be helpful for people with paralysis and users of functional electrical stimulation. What did you find? We manufactured an electrode that could be used in a completely dry state with stimulation. Comparing its functionality against other commercially available electrodes in terms of comfort and induced muscle force we found there was no significant difference and could be comfortably tolerated by users. Why does this matter? Standard electrodes used for transcutaneous stimulation have some practical disadvantages including that they usually require a wet interface with the skin (either a hydrogel, gel, or water). Having an electrode that can be used in a dry state and perform as well as the current standard could enable the fabrication of garments which could facilitate the delivery of stimulation. What is the potential impact? Although there have been garments or textile-based electrodes made for stimulation, they have always required the addition of water or gel to be tolerable in comfort. However, this electrode could be used as is and potentially enable an easier use of transcutaneous stimulation for patients and clinicians.
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