INTRAOPERATIVE, REGIONAL MYOCARDIAL BLOOD FLOW MONITOR

CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY PRACTICED PROCEDURES FOR THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS, YET A SIMPLE AND RAPID METHOD FOR ASSESSINGTHE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROCEDURE WHILE IT IS BEING PERFORMED IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. IT WOULD BE EXTREMELYUSEFUL IF A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF REGIONAL MYOCARDIAL BLOOD FLOW (RMBF) COULD BE MADE PRIOR TO THE CLOSING OF THE CHEST SO THAT THE NEED FOR ANY MEDICAL OR SURGICAL INTERVENTION COULD BE IDENTIFIED DURING THE PROCEDURE. RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC. PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A PRACTICAL, COST-EFFECTIVE PROCEDURE TO PROVIDE THESE DATA. THE APPROACH IS BASED ON NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNIQUES USING XENON-133 AND A MINIATURIZED SOLID-STATE DETECTION SYSTEM THAT WOULD BE SUITABLE FOR USE IN THE CARDIAC OPERATING ROOM. BY THE END OF PHASE I, SUFFICIENT DEVELOPMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED WITH RESPECT TO PROTOCOL, DETECTORS, INSTRUMENTATION, AND ANIMAL TESTING, THAT THE FEASIBILITY OF MEASURING RMBF INTRAOPERATIVELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED. THIS NEW MONITORING CAPABILITY WILL LEAD TO IMPORTANT ADVANCEMENT IN CARDIAC SURGERY AS WELL AS THE CREATION OF A POTENTIALLY SUCCESSFUL TECHNICAL PRODUCT.