On-Vessel Patch-sensor for Measuring Blood Flow

描述（由申请人提供）：没有血液，组织死亡。这个项目的目标是开发非常小的传感器--看起来像这样，--可以平放在血管壁上并测量其血流。这种新设备被称为贴片传感器，这个STTR第一阶段是通过制造一个并证明它在活体动物中工作来建立其概念验证。该器械的重要性在于其在广泛外科手术中的潜在作用。这些包括，对于急性使用，监测血管和整形外科重建、创伤和普通外科手术中的关键术后血流，以及对于长期使用，监测腿部和心脏中的旁路移植物（使用植入物为传感器供电并无线传输测量结果）。申请STTR的小企业DVX开发了特殊的超声传感器-衍射光栅传感器，“DGT”-由PZT压电陶瓷制成，成功地测量了人造血管（即移植物）中的血流，当植入移植物壁时。该项目的研究机构南加州大学的NIH医疗超声换能器技术资源已经学会了制造高频压电聚合物换能器，这种换能器是薄的柔性薄膜，非常适合贴片传感器。压电聚合物不如压电陶瓷敏感，但它们的高频操作能力，利用高频下超声的较高散射，以及在血管上保形，使得它们拾取更多的散射信号，补偿了它们较低的灵敏度。DVX和USC将共同设计、制造和测试压电聚合物高频衍射光栅传感器，以实现血流测量贴片传感器的目标。在证明了这一概念后，在第二阶段，他们打算为特定的临床应用开发该技术的不同版本。公共卫生相关性该项目的目标是开发一种简单的传感器，可以应用于血管的侧面，并提供有关流过血管的血液量的关键信息。这将改善每年数百万手术患者的术后和长期护理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Without blood, tissue dies. The goal of this project is to develop very small sensors - looking something like this, -- that can be placed flat on the wall of a blood vessel and measure its blood flow. This new device is called a patch-sensor, and this STTR Phase I is to establish its proof-of-concept by making one and demonstrating that it works in a living animal. The significance of this device is in its potential role in a wide range of surgical procedures. These include, for acute use, monitoring crucial post-operative blood flow in vascular and plastic surgical reconstructions, trauma and general surgery, and for long- term use, monitoring bypass grafts in the leg and heart (using an implant to power the sensor and wirelessly transmit the measurement results). DVX, the small business applying for the STTR, has developed special ultrasound transducers -- diffraction-grating transducers, "DGT's" -- made of PZT piezoceramic that have been successful in measuring blood-flow in artificial vessels, i.e. grafts, when embedded flat in the graft wall. The NIH Resource on Medical Ultrasonic Transducer Technology at USC, the research institution in this project, has learned to fabricate high frequency piezopolymer transducers that are thin, flexible films, ideal for patch sensors. Piezopolymers are not as sensitive as piezoceramics, but their capability for high frequency operation, to utilize the higher scattering of ultrasound at high frequencies, and to be conformal on vessels, so that they pick up more of the scattered signal, compensates for their lower sensitivity. Working together, DVX and USC will design, fabricate, and test in an animal high frequency diffraction-grating transducers of piezopolymer to meet the goal of a blood- flow measuring patch-sensor. Having proved the concept, in Phase II they intend to develop different versions of this technology for particular clinical applications. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The goal of this project is developing a simple sensor that can be applied to the side of a blood vessel and provide crucial information about the amount of blood flowing through it. This will improve both post-operative and long-term care for millions of surgical patients a year.