An electrical stimulation based therapeutic wearable for pressure ulcer prevention

This paper presents, for the first time, the design and implementation of a wirelessly controlled therapeutic wearable for the prevention of pressure ulcers. As a replacement to conventional methods of patient repositioning and air mattresses, the system delivers electrical stimulation (ES) to the pressured points in the gluteal muscles. The wearable includes an embedded electrical stimulation device along with flexible, skin adhesive electrodes. The electrotherapy parameters can be adjusted by the user via a user-friendly smartphone application connected wirelessly to the garment. Track of user's therapy history is stored on cloud, for analysis and physicians feedback. Optimized for muscle contraction and pressure ulcer prevention, the presented wearable can potentially help bed-ridden patients effortlessly and autonomously.