A novel magnetic relaxation-based platform for hydration monitoring

Hydration state has long been of interest to the military due to its importance in the relationship between physiological indexes and heat exhaustion. The need for hydration monitoring and assessment exists for civilian applications as well. An accurate evaluation of the hydration state in congestive heart failure patients is essential for the correct dose of the diuretic to be prescribed. Current hydration monitoring methods, however, are either unreliable, or require invasive and costly measurement techniques. We investigate in this paper a novel method with the potential for noninvasive and rapid determination of the hydration state of an individual based on nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation measurements. Feasibility studies are performed based on murine models of dehydration and specific tissues of interest for noninvasive screening are determined. The established platform can be employed for developing a portable hydration sensor for accurate and real-time monitoring of the hydration state.