Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Educational Assets
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

This wearable system continuously monitors stomach activity

March 28, 2018 By Danielle Kirsh

UCSD stomach monitor wearable

[Image from University of California at San Diego]

California researchers have created an electrocardiogram-like system for the gastrointestinal tract that monitors electrical activity in the stomach over a 24-hour period.

The system is a wearable, non-invasive system that provides GI activity monitoring outside of clinical settings while increasing the chance of identifying abnormal activity. It is a 3D printed portable box that is connected to 10 small wearable electrodes.

Researchers at the University of California at San Diego tested their device on 11 children and an adult volunteer. The data collected from the wearable was compared to data from clinical state-of-the-art methods that are usually invasive and can include a catheter being inserted through a patient’s nose. Using the data, the researchers also discovered that not only does the electrical activity in the stomach changes throughout the day and around meals, but it also follows its own circadian rhythm during sleep.

“We think our system will spark a new kind of medicine, where a gastroenterologist can quickly see where and when a part of the GI tract is showing abnormal rhythms and as a result, make more accurate, faster and personalized diagnoses,” Armen Gharibans, the study’s first author and bioengineering postdoctoral researchers at the UCSD, said in a press release.

The researchers suggest that the system could help meet a clinical need that has previously been difficult to achieve.

“This will help us determine if the stomach is functioning properly during meals and, most importantly, when patients are experiencing symptoms such as nausea and belly pain,” said David Kunkel, the study’s co-author and gastroenterologist.

One of the biggest challenges that the researchers had to overcome was designing algorithms that could recognize and boost electrical signals coming from the stomach, despite other noise and artifacts. Electrical signals from the stomach are 10 times weaker than those coming from the heart, which makes them harder to capture and analyze.

The device features off-the-shelf electrodes that are use in electrocardiograms, while the electronics and battery that powers the device is enclosed in a 3D printed box that is connected to the electrodes. The entire system fits on a person’s abdomen just over the stomach.

UC San Diego researchers tested the device on 11 pediatric patients at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego who were going through an invasive procedure called manometry which is one of the more invasive methods for monitoring GT tract activity. Comparing the device to manometry, the researchers found that the wearable provided reliable data.

“I have been practicing pediatric gastroenterology and taking care of patients for 20 years,” Hayat Mousa, a pediatrician at UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital, said. “The only method to assess gastrointestinal motility involves placing motility catheters in the GI tracts while kids are sedated or under general anesthesia. It has been a long journey discussing the benefits of doing such an invasive procedure with my patients and their families. My challenge has always been finding a test that offers a non-invasive assessment of the enteric nervous system and its connection with brain function.”

The system uses a smartphone app that has patients log their meals, sleep and other activities. The researchers say that their goal is to design an app that lets patients and physicians see data from the device in real-time.

“The technique outlined in this paper is the best way to evaluate children with motility and functional GI disorders,” Mousa said. “It provides the information without need for sedation and it offers the flexibility to monitor kids while they continue their daily activities. This procedure allows convenience without compromising accuracy. In addition, it offers the option to assess the brain-gut response to therapeutic interventions including biofeedback and neuromodulation.”

Common GI problems like delayed emptying of the stomach can be monitored and managed easier with the system. Healthy people can also benefit from the system by using it to determine when the best time for meals is. Pregnant women and the elderly can also use it to monitor stomach activity before, during and after meals if they are susceptible to heartburn and other GI problems.

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports and was funded by Larry Smarr who is a UC San Diego professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and is the founding director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.

About The Author

Danielle Kirsh

Danielle Kirsh is an award-winning journalist and senior editor for Medical Design & Outsourcing, MassDevice, and Medical Tubing + Extrusion, and the founder of Women in Medtech and lead editor for Big 100. She received her bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism and mass communication from Norfolk State University and is pursuing her master's in global strategic communications at the University of Florida. You can connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn, or email her at dkirsh@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

Four individuals stand smiling in front of the entrance to the Children's Tower at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The person second from the left holds a small black device labeled BLIPI, designed for rapid point-of-care diagnostics. Two of the individuals wear blue medical scrubs, indicating their clinical roles.
New device uses single drop of blood to assess newborn immune health
A photo of the probiotic-powered dissolvable batteries.
Probiotics-powered bioresorbable battery can run more than 100 minutes, researchers say
A photo of Capstan Medical's mitral valve implant, which uses nitinol.
Capstan Medical’s R&D head discusses the heart valve and robotics startup’s tech, engineering challenges and solutions, advice for others in medtech and how to join his team
Close-up view of a transparent vascular model held by fingers, showcasing the milli-spinner device — a tiny, hollow rotating tube with fins and slits designed to generate localized suction for shrinking blood clots without rupturing them.
This device could double stroke clot removal success
“mdo
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest medical device business news, application and technology trends.

DeviceTalks Weekly

See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Educational Assets
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe