A sensing tube with an integrated piezoelectric flow sensor for liver transplantation

An innovative sensing tube with an integrated piezoelectric flow sensor to measure flow rate in portal vein during liver transplantation has been developed and characterized in this work. This smart tube aims to measure flow rates in the portal vein in a real-time continuous format with high reliability. The PVDF-TrFE piezoelectric flow sensor integrated in a tube was able to measure flow rates with the sensitivity of 0.02 mVpp per 20 mL/min in the range of portal vein flow rate. It also showed excellent operational stability for 120 minutes with a standard deviation of 0.084 mVpp. The tube can be used as a clinical tool for assessing the need for portal vein inflow modification during liver transplantation.