Acoustical method of whole-body hydration status monitoring

Abstract

An acoustical handheld hydration monitor (HM) for assessing the water balance of the human body was developed. Dehydration is a critical public health problem. Many elderly over age of 65 are particularly vulnerable as are infants and young children. Given that dehydration is both preventable and reversible, the need for an easy-to-perform method for the detection of water imbalance is of the utmost clinical importance. The HM is based on an experimental fact that ultrasound velocity in muscle is a linear function of water content and can be referenced to the hydration status of the body. Studies on the validity of HM for the assessment of whole-body hydration status were conducted in the Appalachian State University, USA, on healthy young adults and on elderly subjects residing at an assisted living facility. The HM was able to track changes in total body water during periods of acute dehydration and rehydration in athletes and day-to-day and diurnal variability of hydration in elderly. Results of human studies indicate that HM has a potential to become an efficient tool for detecting abnormal changes in the body hydration status.

Noninvasive Monitoring to Detect Dehydration: Are We There Yet?

“…Several studies of dehydration (exercise-induced) and rehydration in athletes have found, on average, that UV changes (measured at the calf ) correspond to changes in serum and urine markers (102, 103); however, there was considerable variation across individuals. Furthermore, UV measured in transmission mode is influenced by tissue fat, such that the change in UV per change in water will differ across individuals (103). Further development of this approach may require a means for ensuring that only muscle is sampled in the measurement and a means for longitudinal monitoring.…”