Effect of moisture on human tissue impedance measurement using textile electrodes

Abstract: The effect of skin surface moisture on the apparent foot’s electrical impedance, measured using textile electrodes, was studied. The sweating of the foot was simulated by spraying saline on the surface of animal cadaver phantom (porcine trotters). The electrical impedance was measured by 4-ptobe (Kelvin) methods. The results demonstrated that the impedance of the tissue expectedly decreases as the level of moisture increases. At the same time, the impedance phase angle does not depend on the surface moisture level. This implies that use of phase angle for foot tissue monitoring could compensate for the effect of foot sweating.