Free flap surgery is considered the gold standard in head and neck reconstructive surgery but comes with a dangerous risk of failure. Monitoring blood flow can help predict free flap failure, but the current industry standard, the Cook-Swartz Doppler Probe and System, suffers from false positive rates as high as 30%, leading to surgical re-exploration that can cost anywhere from $20-30k per incident. The Cook-Swartz device also requires trained, experienced personnel to interpret its output.
Description
A new automated early-onset free flap failure detection device has the ability to detect failure before it occurs. This novel detection device provides a real-time estimate of the free flap blood flow status. Decision-making intelligence is automating, removing the need for experienced operators. The early-detection threshold can be engineered for individual specific applications. This technology can be implemented with an ultra-low-power microchip implant or can be integrated into implantable wireless stents to monitor peripheral arterial disease. False positive rates can be reduced to nearly 10% and human error eliminated as compared to the current industry standard.
Applications
· Monitoring blood flow to predict free flap failure in surgery
Advantages
· A significant reduction in false positive rates, from 30% to 10%
· Removes the need for experienced, highly trained human personnel, and reduces the likelihood of human error
· Early-detection threshold can be engineered for specific application
· Decision making is automated
· Can be implemented with a microchip or an implantable wireless stent
Invention Readiness
Prototype
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2019027693A1
