Device Measures Cerebral Blood Flow and Tissue Perfusion

A minimally invasive device that can measure cerebral blood flow and cerebral tissue perfusion in absolute units, in real time, will help surgeons and clinicians optimize clinical decision-making in neurosurgery practice.

Cerebral tissue perfusion, the rate at which blood is replenished at the capillary level, is the primary factor in the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Adequate cerebral tissue perfusion is an essential requirement to maintain brain function.

Hemedex, Inc., a privately held (Cambridge, MA, USA) medical device company, announced that it has reached an agreement with Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. (Raynham, MA, USA) to distribute Hemedex QFlow 500 perfusion probe.

The device is placed into targeted cerebral tissue where it responds rapidly to changes in cerebral perfusion, allowing clinicians to quickly individualize therapy. The probe is connected to the Bowman perfusion monitor, which calculates, stores, and displays the perfusion data.

Clinical data suggest this technology may help doctors better identify and manage those patients at risk for complications from stroke, traumatic brain injury, and subarachnoid hemorrhage due to decreased cerebral blood flow by providing continuous, real-time, soft-tissue perfusion measurements in absolute units.

The Hemedex QFlow 500 probe has provided an important advance in our neuro monitoring capabilities, and has become a highly valuable tool in our clinical decision making, according to Geoffrey Manley, M.D., Ph.D., chief of neurotrauma at the San Francisco General Hospital and Medical Center (Ca, USA) and co- director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC). We now seek to use the Hemedex technology whenever we are treating a severe traumatic brain injury in our neuro-intensive care unit.

Codman & Shurtleff develops and markets a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic products for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. The company was founded in 1838 and has established a strong leadership position within the industry.

Hemedex develops and manufactures devices that quantify blood perfusion at the capillary level for applications in a range of clinical care indications.


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Hemedex
Codman & Shurtleff