Do you REALLY need to wee before getting in the car? New device will tell you…

It’s a dilemma we’ve all faced at some point – should you run to the bathroom now, or can you wait?

Now, experts have developed an implant and phone app that could one day remove guesswork from the equation.

Researchers have designed a soft, flexible, battery-free implant that attaches to the wall of the bladder to sense how full it is.

Then, it wirelessly — and simultaneously — transmits data to a smartphone app, so users can monitor their bladder fullness in real time.

The development marks the first example of a bioelectronic sensor that enables continuous monitoring of bladder function for a prolonged period, the researchers said.

The soft, stretchable sensor is the elongated section near the tip of the tweezers. The green box is the implantable ‘base station,’ which holds electrical components to power the device and wirelessly transmit data

The device wirelessly and continuously transmits data to a smartphone app, so users (and their physicians) can monitor bladder filling and function in real time

In small animal studies, the system successfully delivered real-time measurements of bladder filling and emptying for 30 days.

Then, in a study using non-human primates, the system successfully delivered information for eight weeks.

The researchers also demonstrated that the sensors are sensitive enough to detect bladder strain from very low volumes of urine.

Professor Guillermo Ameer, from Northwestern University in Illinois, co-led the work. 

He said: ‘In addition to monitoring the filling, the app will be able to send warnings to the patient and then direct them to locations for the nearest restrooms.’

The team said the device could be a game-changer for people with paralysis, spina bifida, bladder cancer or end-stage bladder disease — where bladder function is often compromised, and bladder reconstruction surgery may be required.

‘If bladder nerves are damaged from surgery or from a disease such as spina bifida, then a patient often loses sensation and is unaware that their bladder is full,’ Professor Ameer said.

‘To empty the bladder, they often have to use catheters, which are uncomfortable and can lead to painful infections.

‘We want to eliminate the use of catheters and bypass current bladder function monitoring procedures, which are highly invasive, very unpleasant and must be done in a hospital or clinical setting.’

To monitor the bladder the new device comprises multiple sensors, which work together to measure one simple parameter — strain.

As the bladder fills, it expands. 

The fuller the bladder becomes, the more it stretches. This stretching pulls on the elastic-like device to signal strain.

Likewise, when the bladder empties, it contracts, which then relieves strain. 

As the sensors detect various levels of strain, the device uses embedded Bluetooth technology to transmit this information to a smartphone or tablet.

The team said their sensor system also can enable clinicians to monitor their patients remotely and continuously to make more informed — and faster — treatment decisions.

Preofessor Ameer said: ‘This work is the first of its kind that is scaled for human use.

‘We demonstrated the potential long-term function of the technology. 

‘Depending on the use case, we can design the technology to reside permanently inside the body or to harmlessly dissolve after the patient has made a full recovery.’

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.