April 15, 2015
Teijin and Kyoto University Develop Wearable ECG Textile
with Nishijin-brocade Weaving Technique
The Teijin Group announced today that Teiken Limited, a Teijin group company that manufactures and sells high-performance fiber products for health, comfort, disaster-prevention and safety, has jointly developed a wearable electrode textile, incorporating the Nishijin-brocade weaving technique, that enables rapid, accurate 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements. Development was carried out jointly with professor Tomohiro Kuroda, director at division of information technology and administration planning of Kyoto University Hospital, and the Advanced Scientific Technology & Management Research Institute of Kyoto (ASTEM).
The new e-textile, a fabric with built-in electrical circuits, incorporates 8 of the 10 electrodes required for 12-lead ECG measurements. It can be used for ECG measurements simply by wrapping it around the patient's torso and under the armpit.
The e-textile uses the Nishijin-brocade technique, in which a single weft thread is continuously woven into a complex design. As a result, one strand of conductive thread can be fabricated into a high-quality ECG-measuring fabric with electrodes and conducting wire in a stable, industrialized fashion.
Prototype of wearable 12-lead ECG textile (left: outer surface; right: inner surface with electrodes)
The research was designated by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry's Kansai Bureau in FY2014 as a project promoting new and advanced medical devices through medical–engineering collaboration. Teiken hopes to bring the wearable ECG textile to market within 2015, initially for use by first-responders when transporting patients during emergencies.
Teijin, under a strategic effort to strengthen long-term growth, is developing new solutions by integrating key capabilities from its diverse businesses and through strengthened relationships with external partners. The e-textile is a successful example of creating new value through close cooperation between industry and academia, linking Professor Kuroda's expertise in medical information science, Kyoto's Nishijin-brocade techniques and Teiken's materials procurement, product-development and marketing capabilities.
Cardiac disease, the second-leading cause of death in Japan, is responsible for the increasing emergency transport of patients suffering from cardiac events. To improve survival rates, acute ischemic heart disease requires rapid treatment, including measurement of the patient's 12-lead ECG prior to emergency transport. The normal procedure is to fix 10 electrodes to the patient, but this exacting procedure is difficult to perform correctly in the field under emergency conditions, so 12-lead ECG generally is not implemented prior to emergency transport. The new wearable e-textile, however, offers hope for the increased use of 12-lead ECG in the field.
The new wearable e-textile will be displayed at Teijin Group's booth at MEDTEC Japan, Asia's largest medical device tradeshow, which will be held at the Tokyo Big Sight from April 22 to 24.
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of sustainable transportation, information and electronics, safety and protection, environment and energy, and healthcare. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 150 companies and around 16,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY784.4 billion (USD 7.7 billion) and total assets of JPY 768.4 billion (USD 7.5 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. Please visit www.teijin.com.
