IMPROVING THE CLINICAL APPLICABILITY OF A NON- INVASIVE PERFUSION DETERMINATION TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT: The development of a data management solution that is used for the collection, storage, and retrieval of numerical data in a clinical setting to infer perfusion through a non-invasive thermal method is the impetus for this study. The concept of a self-heated thermistor bead located between a kidney and adjacent tissue is analyzed to determine the efficacy of the procedure to infer perfusion after transplant surgery. This procedure is then analyzed to improve the clinical applicability of the method for physicians. Many important perfusion problems related to blood flow do not require a mathematical solution of the actual volume flow per unit time, but only require information as to whether flow has increased, decreased, or remained constant. This determination of tissue perfusion is of interest to medical professionals and engineers. Although a quantitative study is not necessary, the ability to determine tissue perfusion while adhering to stringent clinical requirements is always necessary in the engineering and medical environment. A non-invasive technique to the organ is developed that will allow for the continuous qualitative and quantitative monitoring of blood perfusion in a kidney during postoperative periods utilizing an easily extracted thermistor probe. The continuous assessment of blood perfusion in the kidney may allow timely therapeutic maneuvers to correct any abnormality in blood flow and prevent graft thrombosis and loss. The data obtained from implementing the continuous assessment of perfusion in the kidney can be converted from numerical values to graphical images. This allows the physician a means of comparing perfusion variations over time, determine perfuse or non-perfuse states, and evaluate real-time perfusion in an efficient manner