Wireless soft hybrid electronics for safe and effective cardiac monitoring in pediatric care

Continuous cardiac monitoring using electrocardiogram (ECG) provides the health care providers a range of patient information essential for making clinical decisions. Unfortunately, the standard method to acquire ECG requires the use of materials and procedures that bears health risks for children, whose developing skin is too fragile and sensitive for prolonged and repeated application of gels, adhesives, and abrasives. Here, we introduce the development of a fully wireless, low-profile, soft cardiac monitor that obviates the need for skin preparation, gels, or adhesives, while maximizing user comfort. The hybrid construction of the device integrates a range of materials in their kinds and shapes, such as elastomers, thin-film metal/polymer composite layers, miniature chip packages, and enables the assembly of a device whose mechanical properties are tailored for children's skin. The flexible thin-film platform is optimized for the conventional reflow soldering process, allowing for easy integration of commercially available electronic functions, such as Bluetooth Low Energy, front-end amplification and filtering, and voltage regulation. Successful in vivo applications of the device in clinical scenarios reveal the device's feasibility as a cardiac monitoring tool that captures both clinical relevance and children's health and comfort.