Arterial-Venous Eye Pulse Oximeter (AVEPOX)

Hemorrhage is the primary cause of death on the battlefield. The U.S. Army has a pressing need for a noninvasive device to measure blood oxygenation in vital organs, and especially in the brain. Changes in arterial and venous blood oxygenation can signalinternal bleeding that needs to be treated immediately. To meet this need, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) has carried out initial development of an innovative Arterial-Venous Eye Pulse Oximeter (AVEPOX). In Phase I, a bench prototype was developed andits performance demonstrated experimentally. In Phase II, POC will develop an engineering prototype of this device, and validate it in a pig model. The innovation of the proposed AVEPOX system lies in its new optical design and unique signal processingalgorithm. The modular design enables compact packaging as a handheld device that can read both arterial and venous retinal blood oxygenation in approximately ten seconds. In addition to AVEPOX system development in Phase II, POC with the help of theUniversity of Southern California School of Medicine will determine the accuracy and validity of AVEPOX system through preclinical testing on pigs.AVEPOX will make a critical difference in intensive care units, monitoring the status of trauma patients,patients after high-risk surgery, patients in shock, etc. Paramedics, firefighters, and other emergency personnel will also use it. This device will save lives by displaying critically important vital sign information in real time.