Absolute Brain Oximeter For Rapid Bedside Measurements In Conscious Infants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract ISS Inc. proposes to develop a novel non invasive instrument for quantitative monitoring of infant brain development. The instrument will be based on Frequency Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy technique and will feature eight (8) laser sources modulated simultaneously using the OFDM technology. The laser sources will emit at different wavelength. The new instrument will be portable, safe, inexpensive and accurate; it will measure absolute, quantitative, region specific values of hemodynamic parameters such as Cerebral Blood Volume and Oxygen Consumption. This instrument can be used with conscious infants during first year of life, giving a tool to monitor the assessment of infant brain development. The Phase I portion of the project will have two parts: During the first part we will design and construct ten (10) new arbitrary RF synthesizers for simultaneous multiplexing the laser sources using OFDM technology; each module will include a Digital-To- Analog Converter (DAC) and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip, in addition to associated clocking circuitry; we will develop the software to demultiplex the signal and analysis tool to recover absolute hemodynamic values. Finally, we will integrate the new electronics into the existing instrument. During the second part we will validate the prototype measuring on phantoms. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project narrative We propose to build a bedside oximeter to measure brain oxygenation in conscious infants and neonates. The instrument will be non-invasive and will use non ionizing radiation. It will be a particularly useful tool for clinicians for monitoring cerebral oxygenation to better understand the rate of cerebral growth and the development in the first year of life. The new instrument will be faster and more accurate than the existing instruments. The instrument will be portable and affordable and it will open the doors for the investigation and relevant medical applications in neonatology and pediatrics.