A FLOWMETER WITH TELEMETRY FOR CHRONIC ANIMAL STUDIES

血流量测量在许多研究中都是至关重要的，最好是通过植入传感器来完成。这减少了研究的动物数量，因为植入的传感器降低了测量的可变性，提高了准确性。然而，目前的流量计技术要求将动物硬连接到记录仪器上。这将动物和手术器械的投资置于危险之中，并可能由于压力实验环境而改变血流。Transonic Systems将通过开发一种小型化、电池供电的无线流量计来解决这个问题。该装置将驱动手术植入的流量探头，并传输自由漫游动物的实时流量。它足够小，可以植入更大的动物体内，或者像“背包”一样附着在老鼠身上。它将具有当前台式流量计的准确性和与典型慢性研究相匹配的电池寿命。第一阶段的研究将通过将商业遥测系统与小型低功率流量计模块集成为混合微电路来验证概念的可行性，并将进行实验和现场研究以确定测量精度。随后的第二阶段研究将开发一个定制集成电路芯片组，实现一个完整的流量计。在第三阶段商业化期间，我们将向所有研究仪器制造商提供芯片组。提出的商业应用：一种具有遥测功能的小型化、价格合理的流量模块具有令人兴奋的商业潜力，因为研究人员可以立即将其应用于涉及大鼠、灵长类动物和猪的慢性研究。现有的生物医学设备供应商可以将流量计芯片组与他们的其他生理传感器和他们自己的遥测系统集成在一起。同样的硬件也可以用于医疗用途，如心室辅助装置中的流量测量，以及心脏搭桥手术后的流量变化监测。

Blood flow measurement is vital to many research studies, and is best done with implanted sensors. This reduces the number of animals studied because implanted sensors lower measurement variability and improve accuracy. However, current flowmeter technology requires that the animals be hard-wired to the recording instrument. This puts the animal and the investment in surgical instrumentation at risk, and may alter flow due to the stressful experimental setting. Transonic Systems will resolve this problem by developing a miniaturized, battery powered wireless flowmeter. This device will drive surgically implanted flow probes and transmit realtime flow from free- roaming animals. It will be small enough to be implanted in larger animals or attached as a "backpack" to the rat. It will have the accuracy of current benchtop flowmeters and a battery life matched to typical chronic studies. The Phase-I research will demonstrate concept feasibility by integrating a commercial telemetry system with a miniaturized low-power flowmeter module implemented as a hybrid microcircuit, and will conduct bench and field studies to determine measurement accuracy. Subsequent Phase- II research will develop a custom integrated circuit chip-set that implements a complete flowmeter. During Phase-III commercialization we will make the chip-set available to all research instrumentation manufacturers. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: A miniaturized, affordable flow module with telemetry has exciting commercial potential, since researchers could immediately apply it to chronic studies involving rats, primates, and pigs. Established biomedical equipment suppliers could integrate the flowmeter chip set with their other physiological sensors and their own telemetry systems. The same hardware could be adapted for medical uses such as flow measurement in Ventricular Assist Devices, and monitoring flow changes after cardiac bypass surgery.