TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing Disposable EEG Cap for Infant Recordings at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
AU - Asayesh, Amirreza
AU - Ilen, Elina
AU - Metsäranta, Marjo
AU - Vanhatalo, Sampsa
N1 - | openaire: EC/H2020/813483/EU//INFANS
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the European Union under the H2020-EU.1.3.1 Program (European Training Networks Funding Scheme; INFANS Project nr. 813483) Research and Innovation Programme (Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement), the Finnish Academy (335788, 332017), Finnish Pediatric Foundation (Lastentautiensäätiö), Aivosäätiö, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, and HUS Children’s Hospital, HUS diagnostic center research funds.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Long-term EEG monitoring in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) is challenged with finding solutions for setting up and maintaining a sufficient recording quality with limited technical experience. The current study evaluates different solutions for the skin–electrode interface and develops a disposable EEG cap for newborn infants. Several alternative materials for the skin–electrode interface were compared to the conventional gel and paste: conductive textiles (textured and woven), conductive Velcro, sponge, super absorbent hydrogel (SAH), and hydro fiber sheets (HF). The comparisons included the assessment of dehydration and recordings of signal quality (skin interphase impedance and powerline (50 Hz) noise) for selected materials. The test recordings were performed using snap electrodes integrated into a forearm sleeve or a forehead band along with skin–electrode interfaces to mimic an EEG cap with the aim of long-term biosignal recording on unprepared skin. In the hydration test, conductive textiles and Velcro performed poorly. While the SAH and HF remained sufficiently hydrated for over 24 h in an incubator-mimicking environment, the sponge material was dehydrated during the first 12 h. Additionally, the SAH was found to have a fragile structure and was electrically prone to artifacts after 12 h. In the electrical impedance and recording comparisons of muscle activity, the results for thick-layer HF were comparable to the conventional gel on unprepared skin. Moreover, the mechanical instability measured by 1–2 Hz and 1–20 Hz normalized relative power spectrum density was comparable with clinical EEG recordings using subdermal electrodes. The results together suggest that thick-layer HF at the skin–electrode interface is an effective candidate for a preparation-free, long-term recording, with many advantages, such as long-lasting recording quality, easy use, and compatibility with sensitive infant skin contact.
AB - Long-term EEG monitoring in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) is challenged with finding solutions for setting up and maintaining a sufficient recording quality with limited technical experience. The current study evaluates different solutions for the skin–electrode interface and develops a disposable EEG cap for newborn infants. Several alternative materials for the skin–electrode interface were compared to the conventional gel and paste: conductive textiles (textured and woven), conductive Velcro, sponge, super absorbent hydrogel (SAH), and hydro fiber sheets (HF). The comparisons included the assessment of dehydration and recordings of signal quality (skin interphase impedance and powerline (50 Hz) noise) for selected materials. The test recordings were performed using snap electrodes integrated into a forearm sleeve or a forehead band along with skin–electrode interfaces to mimic an EEG cap with the aim of long-term biosignal recording on unprepared skin. In the hydration test, conductive textiles and Velcro performed poorly. While the SAH and HF remained sufficiently hydrated for over 24 h in an incubator-mimicking environment, the sponge material was dehydrated during the first 12 h. Additionally, the SAH was found to have a fragile structure and was electrically prone to artifacts after 12 h. In the electrical impedance and recording comparisons of muscle activity, the results for thick-layer HF were comparable to the conventional gel on unprepared skin. Moreover, the mechanical instability measured by 1–2 Hz and 1–20 Hz normalized relative power spectrum density was comparable with clinical EEG recordings using subdermal electrodes. The results together suggest that thick-layer HF at the skin–electrode interface is an effective candidate for a preparation-free, long-term recording, with many advantages, such as long-lasting recording quality, easy use, and compatibility with sensitive infant skin contact.
KW - aEEG
KW - HF
KW - NICU
KW - SAH
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140833136&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/s22207869
DO - 10.3390/s22207869
M3 - Article
C2 - 36298219
AN - SCOPUS:85140833136
SN - 1424-8220
VL - 22
JO - Sensors
JF - Sensors
IS - 20
M1 - 7869
ER -