SBIR Phase II: A novel, low-cost, noninvasive device to detect and characterize the presence or absence of a bolus in the upper esophagus.

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目旨在开发一种新型的非侵入性设备，用于检测和诊断胃食管反流。当胃内容物从胃流入食管时，发生反流。反流的症状包括慢性咳嗽、窒息、呼吸或吞咽困难、上呼吸道感染和胸痛。这些症状也可能与其他严重的疾病有关。这项技术将帮助临床医生快速评估患者的症状，并确定反流是否是根本原因。一种用于评估反流的非侵入性诊断方式每年可以为医疗保健系统节省100亿美元，使临床医生能够为患者提供更好的护理，并减少8000万受反流相关症状影响的美国人的自付费用。该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将继续开发一项专利技术，该技术以非传统方式使用脉冲回波超声和专有算法来创建声学签名。声学特征可以检测和区分食管中的食团。食道会对物质团做出反应而扩张，引发食道层相互变化。这些变化可以通过放置在皮肤外部的超声波传感器来观察。该项目将开发和验证电子硬件、软件和定制超声换能器。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to develop a novel noninvasive device for detecting and diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux. Reflux occurs when a bolus of gastric contents flows from the stomach into the esophagus. Symptoms of reflux can include chronic cough, choking, difficulty breathing or swallowing, upper airway infections, and chest pain. These symptoms can also be associated with other serious medical conditions. The proposed technology will aid clinicians in quickly being able to assess their patients’ symptoms and determine if reflux is the underlying cause. A noninvasive diagnostic modality for assessing reflux could save the healthcare system $10 billion annually, allow clinicians to provide improved care to their patients, and reduce the out-of-pocket costs of the 80 million Americans who are affected by reflux-related symptoms. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will continue the development of a patented technology which uses pulse-echo ultrasound and proprietary algorithms in a non-conventional way to create an acoustic signature. The acoustic signature can detect and differentiate a bolus in the esophagus. The esophagus distends in response to a bolus of material, eliciting the esophageal layers to change in respect to one another. These changes can be observed with ultrasound sensors placed externally on the skin. This project will develop and validate electronic hardware, software, and custom ultrasonic transducers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.