Assessment of a Non-Invasive Brain Pulse Monitor to Measure Intra-Cranial Pressure Following Acute Brain Injury.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring traditionally involves invasive methods with associated risks and costs.
• A new non-invasive brain pulse monitor utilizes red light to capture photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals from the brain's cortical surface.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel non-invasive brain pulse monitor for measuring intracranial pressure.
• To assess the correlation between brain PPG waveform morphology and invasive ICP measurements.

Main Methods:

• The study involved critically ill patients with acute brain injury and existing invasive ICP monitoring.
• Simultaneous measurements of invasive ICP and the non-invasive brain pulse monitor's PPG signals were recorded in 12 patients.
• An automated algorithm was developed to analyze PPG waveform features in relation to ICP levels.

Main Results:

• The brain PPG and invasive ICP waveforms exhibited similar morphological features.
• Both methods showed a progressive increase in the P2 amplitude relative to P1 as ICP levels rose.
• A significant correlation (R²=0.66, P < 0.001) was found between brain pulse waveform morphology and ICP levels.

Conclusions:

• The non-invasive brain pulse monitor's PPG waveform morphology shows promise for measuring intracranial pressure.
• The findings suggest a potential non-invasive alternative to current invasive ICP monitoring techniques.