Commercial Testing Of A Physiologically Based Theory Of Oscillatory Brain Electrical Activity In Anaesthesia Monitoring
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$191,165.00
Summary
While the mechanisms of local anaesthesia are comparatively well known, the mechanisms whereby anaesthetics impair consciousness remain unresolved. This lack of understanding has implications in our ability to monitor the level of anaesthesia while anaesthetic consumption and side effects are minimized. Despite this a number of devices have been developed that attempt to monitor the depth of anaesthesia by quantifying the brains electrical activity. All monitors analyse the activity using a set ....While the mechanisms of local anaesthesia are comparatively well known, the mechanisms whereby anaesthetics impair consciousness remain unresolved. This lack of understanding has implications in our ability to monitor the level of anaesthesia while anaesthetic consumption and side effects are minimized. Despite this a number of devices have been developed that attempt to monitor the depth of anaesthesia by quantifying the brains electrical activity. All monitors analyse the activity using a set of criteria that have been developed by trial and error. The research of Dr David Liley and his team, at Swinburne University of Technology, has resulted in a detailed understanding of the physiological mechanisms that generate brain electrical activity. The outcome is a practical means to carry out a System Based Analysis of Brain Electrical Response (SABER). In 2004, Dr Liley began working with Cortical Dynamics, a company involved in the commercialisation of medical devices. This collaboration incorporated the SABER system into a new prototype device called the Brain Anaesthesia Response (BAR) monitor. In 2004 Dr Liley and Associate Professor Kate Leslie collaborated in a trial, at the Royal Melbourne Hospital to test the sensitivity of the SABER system in quantifying the effect that various levels of nitrous oxide have on measures of anaesthetic depth. The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists supported this study. Initial results obtained with sevoflurane and 3 levels of nitrous oxide showed the ability to differentiate between conscious and unconscious states of patients based on two physiological characterizations of higher brain dynamic state. The next step requires commercial product validation (ie scale up) and further clinical efficacy in testing beta stage depth of anaesthesia BAR units. Completion of this will help the technology move away from a low volume prototype system into a commercially applicable device.Read moreRead less
Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal death and cerebral palsy. This grant will provide proof-of-concept that a computer program can be developed to predict a pregnant woman�s risk of preterm birth. There is a large market (4M US and 8M Europe), there are no competing technologies. This is a unique collaboration between Biomedical Engineering and an Australian centre with an international reputation in preterm birth, assisted by a pathology company.
Acoustic Blood Pressure Measurement On Implanted Biomedical Surfaces
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$184,687.00
Summary
Measurement of local blood pressure in is of great clinical importance. An application of particular interest is the pressure measurement in and around endoluminal stents grafts, which are used for the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs). These grafts are implanted by keyhole surgery and are used to reduce the pressure on the aneurysm walls so that the artery can revert to its more anatomically correct shape on a timescale of one to two years. If the seal between the graft and the art ....Measurement of local blood pressure in is of great clinical importance. An application of particular interest is the pressure measurement in and around endoluminal stents grafts, which are used for the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs). These grafts are implanted by keyhole surgery and are used to reduce the pressure on the aneurysm walls so that the artery can revert to its more anatomically correct shape on a timescale of one to two years. If the seal between the graft and the artery wall is not blood tight, then the aneurysm can become repressurised and may keep on expanding. Over time, an untreated, expanding AAA is likely to rupture with severe consequences for the patient. Thus a convenient, non-invasive means of measuring the pressure within the aneurysm and within the graft is highly desirable. In this proposal, we seek to produce a device that can be incorporated into the walls of the endoluminal graft, which can measure absolute pressure inside and outside the graft and where the pressure measurements can be obtained via standard acoustic or medical ultrasound equipment. To do this, we would use specially designed 'bubbles' which can be incorporated onto either side of the graft walls, where the resonant frequency of the bubbles provides a direct measurement of the pressure around the bubbles. Trials at the CSIRO have found that pressures can be measured to a resolution of better than 10 mmHg by using this technique on air bubbles in water. In this proposal, we wish to develop flexible, but semi-permanent bubbles that can be incorporated onto a biomedical implant surface. If such bubbles can be made, the researchers will use CSIRO-developed software and acoustic equipment such that local blood pressure can be measured in real time.Read moreRead less