PULSE
Detecting Ion Levels, Changes to Health
Hospital clinicians typically test for ions using invasive or rather cumbersome methods that require post-test analysis and offer a view of a patient’s ion concentrations at one moment in time. Today’s engineers and researchers, however, are devising new measurements that are simple to run, offer real-time results, and in some cases, provide continuous monitoring. One group is even using changes in ion flow—skin electrical resistance—as possible indicators of breast cancer.