In vivo monitoring of blood oxygenation using an implantable MEMS-based sensor

We present a novel implantable, but extravascular, optical sensor for continuous long-term monitoring of vital medical parameters such as arterial blood oxygen saturation, pulse and respiratory frequencies. The biocompatible sensor uses a silicone-based manufacturing technique. It consists of two elastic silicone stripes that house the optoelectronic devices. These flexible stripes can be wrapped around an arterial blood vessel without constricting the vessel or influencing the blood flow - even at large dilatations of 10%. In vivo experiments on domestic pigs have shown that real-time measurements with this sensor deliver excellent data.