Wearable Ultrasound Array for Point-of-Care Imaging and Patient Monitoring

A versatile, flexible piezoceramic array has been developed for a variety of ultrasound applications. The transducer can be configured as a linear or curvilinear transducer array, or mounted directly onto the body as a patch or wearable device. Results using a prototype 16-element array demonstrated equivalence to commercial linear array probes in accuracy of vessel diameter measurements in vascular phantoms. The ability to view needle insertion for peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) procedures was also demonstrated. Opportunities for wearable ultrasound devices include point-of-care imaging, combat casualty care, ultrasound therapy, patient monitoring, and personal health.