A substantial cohort of critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) utilize indwelling urinary catheters (IDCs), necessitating regular monitoring of urine collection bags. This process exacerbates the workload for healthcare providers and amplifies their risk of exposure to hospital-acquired infections, as evidenced during the pandemic. Furthermore, IDCs are a predominant source of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in ICU patients, where delayed detection can result in life-threatening complications. To mitigate these challenges, we have engineered a Sticker Type Antenna for Remote Sensing (STARS) system, designed to measure urine flow rate and conductivity as early biomarkers for UTIs, in addition to monitoring urine bag status to enhance medical automation for healthcare providers.
The STARS system incorporates a cost-effective, disposable antenna module capable of non-invasive measurements of urine volume and conductivity, coupled with a reusable wireless module for real-time data transmission. Rigorous evaluations of the STARS system have demonstrated stable performance across physiologically relevant ranges of urine volume (0 to 2000 ml) and conductivity (5 to 40 mS/cm) in urine collection bags. As a proof-of-concept, STARS was tested using artificially simulated healthy and infected urine specimens, validating its efficacy in non-contact sensing and early UTI detection in catheterized patients within a controlled, hospital-like setting. STARS signifies the inaugural application of a real-time, contactless, wireless monitoring platform for concurrent urine bag management and early risk detection of CAUTIs.