A fully hydrogel implantable patch for in situ ultrasonic monitoring of gastric leakage.

A fully hydrogel-based ultrasonic metagel patch (USMP) enables direct real-time ultrasound imaging detection of gastric leakage with stable signatures for up to 7 days in live rabbits.

• Why it matters: Gastric leakage after surgery is life-threatening, and delayed detection can cause severe abdominal organ damage; existing imaging and conventional sensors are limited by timing and mechanical mismatch.
• What they did: The USMP uses a tree-ring air cell array with concentric rings to generate strong back-scattering, encapsulated in biocompatible, hydrolytically degradable pH-responsive hydrogels, then is tested in a live rabbit model.
• The result: In rabbits, the patch supports gastric leakage monitoring for up to 7 days postimplantation, enabling timely, implantable ultrasound-based surveillance.

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