Portable Near Infrared Detection of Blast Lung Injury

Broadband Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (DOS) is a novel technique to quantitatively measure bulk tissue absorption and scattering spectra in the near infrared. DOS is potentially an ideal Primary Blast Lung Injury (PBLI) monitoring technique. The overall objective of this project is to model, test, and validate NIRS/DOS assessment of PBLI in Phase I, then develop a small portable field deployable ambulatory test prototype NIRS/DOS device in Phase II. First, simple Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) experiments will be conducted using pig chest wall and lungs to evaluate light penetration through the chest walls and optimize source/detector geometry. Then NIRS signatures of the appropriate PBLI injury scenarios (e.g. pneumo-hemothorax, hemorrhagic edema) will be identified. The results will be used to assess the broadband NIRS/DOS measurements of chest wall/lung absorption and scattering properties at the Beckman Laser Institute, where the broadband DOS was pioneered and advanced. Reliable tissue models are important part of the DOS technique. They are used to quantitatively relate detected light signal to absorption and reduced scattering coefficients that are indicators of the pulmonary physiologic state (hemoglobin concentration and oxygenation). CFDRC will develop software for calculation of the Diffuse Photon Density Wave propagation in realistic chest wall/lung tissue and pathologic conditions. In Phase II prototype NIRS/DOS PBLI device will be developed, tested at UCI and CFDRC and commercialized.