A New Method for Blood Perfusion Measurement using Non-Invasive Bio-Heat Perfusion Sensors

Abstract

The development of a blood perfusion monitoring system capable of non-invasively providing researchers and healthcare specialists with continuous and absolute measurements of blood perfusion would be a significant improvement over the current state-of-the-art. Currently, blood perfusion measurement is primarily done qualitatively, invasively, and not in real-time. These limitations in measurement have restricted researchers and healthcare specialists from taking full advantage of the helpful information and insight measures of blood perfusion can provide. Blood perfusion measurement has many applications including, but not limited to, the transplant of organs, surgical procedures, cancer detection and treatment, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, diabetic neuropathy, and the monitoring of cardiovascular health. In this work, a new solution method of determining blood perfusion occurring at the surface of tissue in a real-time and quantitative manner is presented. This new method is used in conjunction with a non-invasive bio-heat perfusion sensor (CHFT+). In addition to quantitative values of blood perfusion, this new method is capable of estimating the thermal contact resistance between the tissue and bio-heat perfusion sensor as well as the core perfusing blood temperature. One of the major advantages of this new method is its ability to determine blood perfusion values regardless of the amount of thermal contact resistance present; an ability that has many applications with regard to thermal response measurement and solution methods in areas besides blood perfusion measurement. The new solution method was validated using both simulated data and experimental data. The experimental data validation was done using an established Phantom Tissue System that allows for controlled perfusion in pseudo tissue (99% porous sponge). Additionally, the experimental results were compared against the experimental results output from a different but established and accepted Mathematica based solution method. The experimental results had excellent agreement with expected values and proved the new solution method to be more accurate than methods developed and used previously.