Remote diagnostics and monitoring using microwave technique – improving healthcare in rural areas and in exceptional situations

Authors

• Mariella Särestöniemi Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology; Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
• Sami Myllymäki Microelectronics research unit, University of Oulu, Oulu
• Jarmo Reponen Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Oulu; Medical Research Center Oulu (MRC Oulu), Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu
• Teemu Myllylä Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Oulu; Optoelectronics and Measurement Techniques Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.122743

Keywords:

blood clot, brain diseases, breast self-examination, early detection of cancer, rural nursing, telemedicine

Abstract

Interests towards wireless portable medical diagnostics and monitoring systems, which could be used outside hospital e.g. during pandemic or catastrophic situations, have increased recently. Additionally, portable monitoring solutions could partially address widely recognized challenges related to healthcare equality in rural areas. Microwave based sensing has recently been recognized as emerging technology for portable medical monitoring and diagnostics devices since they may enable development of safe, reliable, and low-cost solutions for future’s telemedicine. The aim of this paper is to present the basic idea of microwave -based medical monitoring and discuss its possibilities, advantages, and challenges. In particular, we show that microwaves could be exploited in three pre-diagnostics applications: 1) Detection of abnormalities in the brain with a helmet type of monitoring device, 2) Detection of breast cancer with a self-monitoring vest, 3) Detection of blood clots in leg with an antenna band. The technique is based on detecting differences in radio channel responses caused by the abnormalities having different dielectric properties than the surrounding tissues. Our results of realistic simulations and experimental measurements show that even small-sized abnormalities, e.g. tumors, can change channel characteristics in detectable level.