INVENTION NOVELTY
The Mercury Patch is the first low-cost, wireless wound care product that provides both a monitoring and therapeutic function to help prevent pressure ulcer development within a hospital setting.
VALUE PROPOSITION
Existing pressure monitoring devices focus on expensive mattress overlay systems, which are cost-prohibitive and impractical for hospitals to implement as a preventative measure. The Mercury Patch is the first pressure monitoring platform that can be worn and provide crucial data about high-risk areas on a patient. The Mercury Patch is comprised of two main components: a wireless core monitoring layer and a software user interface.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
At the heart of the Mercury Patch is a multi-layer composite construction that not only allows for proper measurement and wireless communication, but also allows for a high degree of biocompatibility and functionality, with regards to pressure ulcer management. A novel core-monitoring layer provides a low profile, soft, flexible, and moisture compatible device that has the ability to integrate into various environments that traditional pressure mapping systems cannot. The core-monitoring layer provides a scalable platform that can take on different shapes and sizes according to the application on the patient’s body. Additionally, it has the ability to integrate with existing wound care products used to treat pressure ulcers, through two unique approaches. First, it has the ability to be fully integrated as a layer into a wound care-dressing product, due to its biocompatible properties that are essential to the function of the dressings. Secondly, it can act as a piggyback device and be adhered to the outer surface of an off-the-shelf dressing to enable monitoring properties.
