Monitoring of a skin temperature in vicinity of a surgical wound

This article describes experimental measurements of a skin temperature in vicinity of a surgical wound. Measurements were carried out in collaboration with the orthopedic department of the University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic. A system used for sensing, transmission and visualization of physiological parameters was developed at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. A main goal of measurements was to evaluate technical parameters of the system, and also non-technical aspects associated with the use of the system. Technical parameters that was verified was a reliability of the system as a whole. This covers a temperature and motion sensing, a wireless transfer of measured data from sensors through wireless routers to the data server and data visualization in web application. To asses non-technical aspects of the system use, a sociological survey was carried out. Patients were asked to answer several questions related to the use of the system and temperature sensors. Conducted series of measurements and the survey showed that the vast majority of patients are accepting new technology positively. Measurements also verified the usability of the temperature sensor for local skin temperature measurement. Furthermore measurements revealed some issues associated with use of the sensor for monitoring of human body temperature and set a new target for further research and developmen