Ultrasonic blood flowmeter with a novel Xero algorithm for a mechanical circulatory support system

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Devices
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Mechanical circulatory support systems (MCSSs) are vital for heart failure patients.
• Abnormal blood flow in MCSSs can lead to critical emergencies.
• Accurate and robust flowrate measurement is essential for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel ultrasonic blood flowmeter (UFM) sensor module.
• To introduce a new algorithm, Xero, for enhanced flowrate measurement.
• To evaluate the performance of the Xero algorithm against conventional methods in MCSS applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel UFM sensor module.
• Implementation of the Xero algorithm, leveraging zero-crossing principles.
• Comparative analysis of Xero against cross-correlation (Xcorr) and zero-crossing (Zero) algorithms.
• Testing accuracy, robustness, and continuous monitoring capabilities.

Main Results:

• The Xero algorithm demonstrated superior performance in flowrate measurements.
• Achieved an error rate of at least 0.92% across various conditions.
• Exhibited enhanced robustness against changing fluid temperatures.
• Showed sensitive detection of sudden flowrate variations.

Conclusions:

• The proposed UFM system with the Xero algorithm is highly effective for MCSS applications.
• Xero offers significant improvements in accuracy, robustness, and responsiveness.
• This technology holds great potential for improving the safety and efficacy of MCSSs.