Visualizing biofilm formation in endotracheal tubes using endoscopic three-dimensional optical coherence tomography
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Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Automated 3D Optical Coherence Tomography to Elucidate Biofilm Morphogenesis Over Large Spatial Scales
Published on: August 21, 2019
Andrew E Heidari1, Samer Moghaddam2, Kimberly K Truong
1University of California Irvine, Samueli School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, California 92697-2700, United StatesbBeckman Laser Institute, 1002 Health Sciences Road, Irvine, California 92617, United.
Abstract:
Biofilm formation has been linked to ventilator-associated pneumonia, which is a prevalent infection in hospital intensive care units. Currently, there is no rapid diagnostic tool to assess the degree of biofilm formation or cellular biofilm composition. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a minimally invasive, nonionizing imaging modality that can be used to provide high-resolution cross-sectional images. Biofilm deposited in critical care patients’ endotracheal tubes was analyzed in vitro. This study demonstrates that OCT could potentially be used as a diagnostic tool to analyze and assess the degree of biofilm formation and extent of airway obstruction caused by biofilm in endotracheal tubes.
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