Skin-Adherent Elastomer-Hydrogel Patch for Continuous 12-Lead Cardiac Ambulatory Monitoring during Physical Activities

Continuous electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring is a necessity to prevent the sudden occurrence of cardiac events and premature death. Wearable bioelectronics provides the opportunity to realize noninvasive 12-lead ambulatory monitoring for cardiovascular disease (CVD) detection and diagnosis. This work introduces a 12-lead ECG patch that eliminates the issues associated with compliance, skin damage, and user-discomfort encountered in conventional ECG sensors. The patch is safe, stretchable, and skin-adherent with an adaptable design that allows for user-friendly ECG monitoring. These can be attributed to the unique 3-bridge patch structure, embedded liquid metal circuitry, and the wet-adhesive polyacrylamide-polydopamine-tannic acid (PAM-PDA-TA) hydrogel. The hydrogel displays improved wet adhesiveness and biosafety for long-term usage on deforming skin. The patch can acquire clean and consistent ECG signals with a higher signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio compared to commercial electrodes during both static and dynamic monitoring. The outstanding performance of the patch ascertains its potential for daily continuous ECG monitoring and remote diagnosis.

Automated summary

Continuous electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring is necessary for preventing cardiac events and premature death. This study introduces a 12-lead ECG patch that overcomes issues with compliance, skin damage, and user discomfort in conventional ECG sensors. The patch is safe, stretchable, and skin-adherent, allowing for user-friendly ECG monitoring.