Preterm infants are prone to have higher risks of morbidity, disability and developmental delay compared to term infants. The primitive reflexes, inborn behaviors found in early life development, are shown to be a good tool to assess the integrity of the central nervous system of infants and to predict potential malfunctions. Among these reflexes, the non-nutritive sucking reflex plays an important role in indicating congenital abnormalities in brain development and feeding readiness, especially for premature infants. Conventionally, pediatricians evaluate the oral sucking power qualitatively based on their experiences, by using a gloved finger put inside the infant’s mouth. Thus, more quantitative solutions to assess the sucking power of preterm infants are necessary to support healthcare professionals in their evaluation procedures. Here, we developed a silver nanowire (AgNW)-based flexible pressure sensor to measure the non-nutritive sucking power of infants. The flexible sensor was fabricated using silver nanowires deposited on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in a sandwich-like structure. The sensor based on the principle of strain gauge was attached to a ring-shaped connecting module, and then to a pacifier. The negative sucking pressure exerted by the infant deformed the sensor membrane, causing its electrical resistance to change without any contact between the infant’s mouth and the sensing element. The fabricated sensor was characterized and optimized to achieve both the suitable sensitivity and stability. Thanks to the excellent long-term electro-mechanical stability and high sensitivity, the developed sensor is expected to provide the means to quantitatively assess the non-nutritive sucking of infants, with a portable, low-cost, non-invasive and light-weight solution.

中文翻译：

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基于银纳米线的柔性压力传感器，可测量新生儿的非营养性吮吸力

与足月儿相比，早产儿容易出现发病，残疾和发育迟缓的风险。原始反射，早期生命发展中发现的先天行为被证明是评估婴儿中枢神经系统完整性和预测潜在功能障碍的良好工具。在这些反射中，非营养性吮吸反射在指示脑发育和喂养准备中的先天性异常中起着重要作用，尤其是对于早产儿。常规上，儿科医生通过使用戴在婴儿口中的戴手套的手指，根据他们的经验定性评估口腔的吸吮能力。因此，需要更多的定量解决方案来评估早产婴儿的吮吸能力，以支持医疗保健专业人员的评估程序。这里，我们开发了基于银纳米线（AgNW）的柔性压力传感器，以测量婴儿的非营养性吮吸能力。柔性传感器是使用银纳米线以三明治状结构沉积在聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）上制成的。将基于应变仪原理的传感器安装到环形连接模块上，然后再安装到奶嘴上。婴儿施加的负抽吸压力会使传感器膜变形，从而导致其电阻发生变化，而婴儿的嘴与传感元件之间没有任何接触。对制成的传感器进行了表征和优化，以实现合适的灵敏度和稳定性。凭借出色的长期机电稳定性和高灵敏度，