Development of a Wearable Bladder Monitoring System

Soldiers with spinal cord injury (SCI) face a lifetime of bladder dysfunction.Although the type and character of this dysfunction depends on the severity and level of spinal injury, many of these soldiers and veterans suffer from renal insufficiency, frequent and severe antibiotic-resistant bladder infections, and the emotional and social stress of unexpected bladder leakage.We propose that significant reductions in infections and other morbidities are possible by simply replacing scheduled voiding with a noninvasive wearable device that can monitor bladder volume and alert the patient to void.Our approach leverages an array of Creare-developed technologies and off the shelf products to form an integrated system.In Phase I, we will develop a preliminary design for a prototype wearable bladder measurement system.In Phase II, we will develop a prototype system and will evaluate its effectiveness.In Phase III, we will validate the technology through clinical trials and will use that data to obtain FDA clearance.