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December 2005

Detecting Blood Loss

A simple finger-clip device is able to monitor blood loss accurately -- without the need for more invasive or expensive procedures.

By Kevin Bullis
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Patients who lose too much blood during surgery can suffer heart attacks.

But measuring blood volume requires either inserting a catheter into the pulmonary artery, ordering an expensive echocardiogram, or resorting to guesswork.

Kirk ­Shelley, an anesthesiologist at Yale University, has devised a way to noninvasively measure blood loss using a pulse oximeter, a finger-clip device commonly used to measure pulse rate and blood oxygen levels in hospital patients. The pulse oxime­ter measures how much light of different wavelengths the blood absorbs.

After gathering pulse oximeter data from operating rooms for more than seven years, ­Shelley developed an algorithm that translates subtle absorption changes into accurate estimates of blood volume.

Shelley says the algorithm can detect when blood loss exceeds one pint, information that can be used to guide transfusions. ­

Shelley is negotiating with manufacturers that might license or buy the technology. If all goes well, the technology could reach operating rooms in 2006.
December/January 2005

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Comments

  • GREAT STUFF
    Guest (DR.RAJESH.T.EAPEN) on 01/11/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    As an Anesthetist I would surely love to have this tool.
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Blood Loss by Pulse Ox
    Guest (Mark Donald) on 01/22/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    This is very interesting is there a way that I can e-mail the developer of this and find out more on this device? V/r Mark Donald
    mldonald@mar.med.navy.mil
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • emerging technology
    Guest (nadia ) on 02/15/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    i am doing a class assignment on emerging technology and i was wondering if you can send me some more information.
    thank you
    sincerly nadia
    email me at
    nadiasum41@hotmail.com
    thank you
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Detecting Blood Loss
    Guest (Jellyfish) on 02/20/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    Sounds great, but there is so much to prove in regulatory terms, it may be many years before we see it in use.
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Detecting blood loss
    makangoo on 07/31/2008 at 10:59 AM
    Posts:
    1
    Avg Rating:
    1/5
    An Excellent approach.Plz let me know the Algorithm.Blood loss estimation is a challange for anesthetist and can save many lives.Needs a lot of new ideas.
    Rate this comment: 12345
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