Bruin Biometrics, LLC,  a wireless health technology company, and researchers at UCLA have developed a device for measuring the risk of pressure ulcer formation. The Sub-Epidermal Moisture (SEM) scanner is a handheld device which measures the dielectric properties of the tissue being assessed and provides an estimation of the sub-epidermal moisture which is indicative of risk of decub ulcer formation. The SEM scanner is designed to overcome current difficulties with visual pressure ulcer assessments by detecting early pressure damage before it becomes visible on the skin surface.

The scanner is intended for use in a point of care environment and can wirelessly transmit measured data for storage and analysis on Bruin Biometrics’ proprietary back end system. The video below gives a nice overview of the early clinical work on SEM that led to the development of the system. It also has some nice technical info and shots of the device itself (techies scroll to 3:30). The SEM scanner was officially unveiled in April of this year and is expected to be commercially launched in the coming months.