Infrared Blood Detector

To accurately diagnose the severity of blast-induced lung injury on the battlefield, Physical Optics Corporation proposes to develop in Phase II a new and automatic Infrared Blood Detector (IBD) based on the principle of dual-wavelength, frequency-domain, multidistance, near infrared spectroscopy. The IBD will consist of an optimized emitting-receiving electronic board with multiple APD photodetector and transimpedance amplifiers, a signal processing board, a DSP chip, and a communication port as an IBD interface to LSTAT. IBD can enable medical attendants to routinely diagnose lung hemorrhage and measure oxygen saturation of arterial (SaO2) and venous (SvO2) blood. It can simultaneously detect lung edema. The IBD design is compatible with the life support for trauma and transport, and can be used noninvasively in medical trauma centers, ambulances, and rescue helicopters to rapidly assess patient status, even in remote battlefields locations. In the Phase II prototype, DSPs will control data acquisition, data processing, storage, and display. An animal model will be used to test IBD performance to detect lung hemorrhage, lung edema, and oxygen saturation of arterial and venous blood. The Phase II IBD prototype will be compact, user friendly, cost effective, and compatible with military life support and transportation equipment.