Development of a flexible conductive microneedle-based sensor for non-invasive monitoring of jugular venous pressure in heart failure patients
D Nachman, N Bader, O Amir, K Abd Rbo, I Sarkar, A Abu-Ammar, H KasemAbstract
Introduction
Jugular venous pressure (JVP) is a key hemodynamic marker for diagnosis and management of heart failure, yet current assessment methods remain subjective or invasive. A flexible microneedle (MN)-based pressure-sensing platform was developed for continuous, non-invasive JVP monitoring by converting venous pulsation–induced skin deformations into measurable electrical signals.
Materials and Methods
A soft conductive sensing film composed of 12% ethylene glycol–poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate/polyvinyl alcohol (EG–PEDOT:PSS/PVA) was fabricated and mechanically characterized. Polycaprolactone (PCL) MN arrays with varying polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations were produced to optimize mechanical coupling. Device performance was evaluated using mechanical testing and electromechanical measurements. A pilot clinical study was conducted in patients undergoing right-heart catheterization following institutional ethics approval and acquisition of informed consent.
Results and Discussion
The EG–PEDOT:PSS/PVA film exhibited low Young’s modulus (E = 0.0078 ± 0.005 MPa) and high stretchability, enabling sensitive detection of small pressure variations. MN arrays containing 1% PEG demonstrated optimal mechanical properties and significantly enhanced strain transfer. The MN-integrated sensor detected physiologically relevant pressures (2–11 mmHg) with ΔR/R₀ responses of 12–46%, whereas a flat sensor without MNs exhibited only 1–4% variation. In the clinical evaluation (n = 5 patients), stable signal segments showed waveform morphology and temporal features closely matching invasive catheter measurements with a coefficient of determination of R2= 0.7767 across subjects, confirming the effectiveness and clinical relevance of MN-mediated surface sensing.
Conclusions
This work demonstrates the first microneedle-based platform for continuous, non-invasive JVP monitoring. The technology addresses key limitations of existing clinical methods and offers a novel diagnostic pathway for improved heart failure management.Graphical Abstract