The potential for biosensors in cardiac surgery

Biosensor technology has been used in portable medical diagnostic instrumentation since the 1980s, mainly for the home monitoring of blood glucose in diabetics. Numerous types of sensor have been developed and reported in the literature and instrumentation which incorporates biosensors is now available for use in the emergency rooms and intensive care units for some critical parameters. However, there are still many opportunities for the development of rapid assays using biosensors which could be of assistance in cardiac surgery. This paper discusses the biosensor concept and where the key opportunities for biosensor development arise in current and future cardiac surgery.