Printed Organic Leds And Photodetector For A Flexible Reflectance Measurement-Based Blood Oximeter

Patent Status

Brief Description

Home telemonitoring and mobile health devices are advancing the delivery and quality of healthcare at a rapid rate. Pulse oximetry is a related non-invasive practice that measures blood oxygen saturation level in terms of percent saturated peripheral oxygen, in addition to capturing the patient's pulse rate. Pulse oximetry is a standard-of-care in U.S. patient monitoring market and every multi-parameter patient monitor includes a module to measure saturated peripheral oxygen. Market research suggests the U.S. pulse oximetry market grew to over $650M in 2012 and is forecast to reach almost $1B in the U.S. by 2019. Traditional pulse oximetry systems and methods are impaired by several conditions, including skin pigmentation, ambient light interference, low capillary refill, and surface motion. To help overcome these challenges, researchers at Berkeley have successfully demonstrated a blood oximeter using reflectance spectroscopy. This is a promising new alternative to traditional methods, and has been used for samples that are difficult to analyze by transmission. The invention leverages a system design of low-cost polymer light emitting diodes and organic photodetectors to fit to a variety of new, innovative form factors for use in the home, on travel, or under hospital care.

Suggested uses

Advantages