Materials and methods for detecting and monitoring edema and related conditions

A coupled domain sensor device for quantification of skin hydration and occlusion of blood flow of a subject, the coupled domain sensor comprising:

• an electrical component, the electrical component comprising at least two electrodes and an impedance analyzer electrically connected to the two electrodes, and
• an optical component, the optical component comprising a light source and a photodetector;
• the coupled domain sensor device further comprising a microcontroller,
• the impedance analyzer performing a single frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis at a single frequency in a range of 0.5 kHz to 2000 kHz and performing a multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis at different frequencies in a range of 0.5 kHz to 1000 kHz, by sending an alternating current in a range of 1 μA to 2000 μA, the multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis comprising quantifying an amount of extracellular water at a frequency in a range of 1 kHz to 5 kHz and quantifying an amount of total body water at a frequency in a range of 100 kHz to 500 kHz,
• the electrical component being configured to measure the skin hydration and the optical component being configured to measure saturation of hemoglobin, which is indicative of the occlusion of blood flow, and
• the coupled domain sensor device being configured to diagnose fluid build-up if a measured level of skin hydration is at least 5% higher than that of a control sample and to diagnose occlusion of blood flow if a measured level of saturation of hemoglobin is at least 5% less than that of the control sample.