Skip to main content

Head patch measures blood flow in stroke patients' brains



Approximately one third of stroke patients experience another stroke while they're still in the hospital. Nurses therefore keep a close eye on them, and arrange for them to be taken for tests if a subsequent stroke is suspected. Unfortunately these tests can be invasive, and in some cases are even potentially harmful to the patient. A new device being developed at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, however, could watch for strokes simply by shining light onto a patient's forehead.
The device, known as near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), attaches to the brow skin like a sticker. It then measures blood oxygen levels in the brain, by emitting near-infrared light that penetrates the scalp, and proceeds about 2.5 centimeters (0.98 inches) into the underlying brain tissue. It functions like the presently-used pulse oximeter, which clamps onto the finger.
Ordinarily, in order to test for a stroke, a CT perfusion scan is performed. This measures blood flow and oxygenation through the use of an introduced contrast medium, which can in some cases cause airway or kidney damage. If multiple scans are required, the process can also expose the patient to excessive radiation.
In extreme cases, an oxygen probe may instead be inserted into the brain. Needless to say, the procedure is invasive, plus it only covers a limited area of the brain.
When compared to CT perfusion scans performed on eight patients, NIRS was shown to produce statistically similar results. It did offer a more limited field of measurement, however, so the scientists believe it may not be ideal for all cases.
Further studies on the device are now planned. If miniaturized, it is hoped that it could be used in the battlefield on soldiers, to assess the extent of brain injuries.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Solar car hits U.S. in round-the-world jaunt

Last October, the SolarWorld GT solar-powered car set out from Darwin, Australia on a drive around the world. It has since driven 3,001 kilometers (1,865 miles) across Australia, logged 1,947 km (1,210 miles) crossing New Zealand and been shipped across the Pacific Ocean. This Friday, it will embark on the U.S. leg of its journey, as it sets out across America from the University of California, Santa Barbara.   The SolarWorld GT is the result of a collaboration between solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld, and Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The four-wheeled, two-door, two-seat car gathers solar energy through photovoltaic panels built into its roof, with its solar generator offering a peak performance of 823 watts. Custom hub motors are located in both of the front wheels. The vehicle manages an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), with a claimed top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). In order to demonstrate that solar powered cars needn't be a radical...

Biocomputer, Alternative To Quantum Computers

A team of international scientists from Canada, the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden announced Friday that they had developed a model biological supercomputer capable of solving complex mathematical problems using far less energy than standard electronic supercomputers. The model “biocomputer,” which is roughly the size of a book, is powered by Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — dubbed the “molecular unit of currency.” According to description of the device, published in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the biocomputer uses proteins present in all living cells to function. It uses a strategy similar to that of quantum computers, which use qubits — the quantum computing equivalents of bits — to perform “parallel computation,” wherein  computers are able to process information quickly and accurately by performing several calculations simultaneously, rather than sequentially. In the case of the biocomputer, the qubits are replaced with ...

Qualcomm showcases the Snapdragon S4 ahead of Mobile World Congress

We’ve already heard about Qualcomm’s latest processor, the Snapdragon S4 , which will be quad-core and utilize LTE. Qualcomm took the time to give us some details ahead of Mobile World Congress. The new SoC now supports up to three cameras (two in the back for 3D and one front-facing), 20-megapixels, and recording video at 1080p (30fps). We can also expect zero shutter lag, 3A processing (autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance), and improved blink/smile detection, gaze estimation, range finding and image stabilization. Last but not least, it supports gesture detection/control, augmented reality , and computer vision (via Qualcomm’s FastCV). Hit the break for a couple of videos featuring image stabilization and gestures.