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  • Original Article
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Textrode functional straps for bioimpedance measurements-experimental results for body composition analysis

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages S22–S27 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Functional garments for physiological sensing purposes have been used in several disciplines, that is, sports, firefighting, military and medicine. In most of the cases, textile electrodes (textrodes) embedded in the garment are used to monitor vital signs and other physiological measurements. Electrical bioimpedance (EBI) is a non-invasive and effective technology that can be used for the detection and supervision of different health conditions.

EBI technology could make use of the advantages of garment integration; however, a successful implementation of EBI technology depends on the good performance of textrodes. The main drawback of textrodes is a deficient skin–electrode interface that produces a high degree of sensitivity to signal disturbances. This sensitivity can be reduced with a suitable selection of the electrode material and an intelligent and ergonomic garment design that ensures an effective skin–electrode contact area.

Subjects/Methods:

In this work, textrode functional straps for total right side EBI measurements for body composition are presented, and its measurement performance is compared against the use of Ag/AgCl electrodes. Shieldex sensor fabric and a tetra-polar electrode configuration using the ImpediMed spectrometer SFB7 in the frequency range of 3–500 kHz were used to obtain and analyse the impedance spectra and Cole and body composition parameters.

Results:

The results obtained show stable and reliable measurements; the slight differences obtained with the functional garment do not significantly affect the computation of Cole and body composition parameters.

Conclusions:

The use of a larger sensor area, a high conductive material and an appropriate design can compensate, to some degree, for the charge transfer deficiency of the skin–electrode interface.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the Mexican CONACYT under Scholarship 304684. Publication of this article was supported by a grant from seca Gmbh & Co. KG, Hamburg, Germany. All the test subjects gave informed consent to participate in the study, in agreement with the ethical approval nr 274-11 granted by the regional ethical review board in Gothenburg.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Technology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, University of Borås, Huddinge, Sweden

    J C Márquez, F Seoane & K Lindecrantz

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  1. J C Márquez
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  2. F Seoane
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  3. K Lindecrantz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J C Márquez.

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Competing interests

FSM is part owner of Z-Health Technologies AB. KL has equity ownership or stock options in Z-Health Technologies AB. JCM declare has no conflict of interest.

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Márquez, J., Seoane, F. & Lindecrantz, K. Textrode functional straps for bioimpedance measurements-experimental results for body composition analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 67 (Suppl 1), S22–S27 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.161

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