Development and characterization of a point-of care rate-based transcutaneous respiratory status monitor

Blood gas measurements provide vital clinical information in critical care. The current "gold standard" for blood gas measurements involves obtaining blood samples, which can be painful and can lead to bleeding, thrombus formation, or infection. Mass transfer equilibrium-based transcutaneous blood gas monitors have been used since the 1970s, but they require heating the skin to ≥42 °C to speed up the transcutaneous gas diffusion. Thus, these devices have a potential risk for skin burns. Here we report a new generation of noninvasive device for respiratory status assessment. Instead of waiting for mass transfer equilibrium, the blood gas levels are monitored by measuring the transcutaneous diffusion rate, which is proportional to blood gas concentration. The startup time of this device is almost independent of skin temperature, so the measurement can be made at any body temperature. The test results show that this device can track the blood gas levels quickly even at normal body temperature.