A novel flexible, wearable Doppler ultrasound device accurately measured absolute blood flow velocity in human arteries, demonstrating a relative error of peak flow velocity below 8.69%.
Does a flexible Doppler ultrasound device accurately measure absolute blood flow velocity compared to commercial ultrasound machines in phantoms and human subjects?
A novel flexible, wearable Doppler ultrasound device can accurately and continuously monitor absolute blood flow velocity, offering potential for postoperative vascular monitoring.
Thrombosis and restenosis after vascular reconstruction procedures may cause complications such as stroke, but a clinical means to continuously monitor vascular conditions is lacking. Conventional ultrasound probes are rigid, particularly for postoperative patients with fragile skin. Techniques based on photoplethysmography or thermal analysis provide only relative changes in flow volume and have a shallow detection depth. Here, we introduce a flexible Doppler ultrasound device for the continuous monitoring of the absolute velocity of blood flow in deeply embedded arteries based on the Doppler effect. The device is thin (1 mm), lightweight (0.75 g), and skin conforming. When the dual-beam Doppler method is used, the influence of the Doppler angle on the velocity measurement is avoided. Experimental studies on ultrasound phantoms and human subjects demonstrate accurate measurement of the flow velocity. The wearable Doppler device has the potential to enhance the quality of care of patients after reconstruction surgery.
Wang et al. (2021) studied Healthy volunteers (n=2). Flexible Doppler ultrasound device vs. Commercial ultrasound machine was evaluated on Peak flow velocity (PFV) measurement accuracy. A novel flexible, wearable Doppler ultrasound device accurately measured absolute blood flow velocity in human arteries, demonstrating a relative error of peak flow velocity below 8.69%.