A wearable bioimpedance spectroscopy system for characterizing fluid distribution in the lower limbs

Compression therapy is used to treat and manage many vascular conditions. Unfortunately, the mechanism by which compression affects the body has remained largely uncharacterized because there are no wearable systems for continuously assessing blood flow and swelling. In this study, a wearable bioimpedance spectroscopy system was designed to measure changes in limb impedance. This system applied stimuli at frequencies ranging from 10-100 kHz while maintaining a constant current level. During controlled laboratory and wear tests, the system was found to be capable of resolving small changes in impedance. The newly designed system was an improvement over similar portable bioimpedance systems because it was smaller, consumed less power, and could select between a range of frequencies to study different physiological information.