Non-invasive assessment of sublingual microcirculation using flow derived from green light PPG: evaluation and
Rafael Uribe Acevedo1,2, Laura Osorio Sánchez1, Sebastián Vergara Londoño1
1Universidad EIA, Medellín, Colombia.
Journal of Biomedical Optics
|January 8, 2024
Summary
Photoplethysmography (PPG) shows promise for assessing sublingual microcirculation. This non-invasive technique, using green light signals from the tongue, offers a potential alternative to current methods.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Physiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Sublingual microcirculation assessment offers insights into vascular changes, surpassing limitations of peripheral methods.
- Videomicroscopy and pulse oximetry are used for microcirculation assessment but have clinical limitations.
- Current methods for assessing organ perfusion beyond macrohemodynamics are limited in clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and evaluate a non-invasive photoplethysmography (PPG) approach for assessing microcirculation.
- To determine if PPG signals can detect changes in peripheral microcirculation.
- To assess sublingual microcirculation using features from PPG signals.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments involving 31 subjects were conducted.
- Multi-wavelength finger PPG signals were analyzed under varying pressure.
- Sublingual PPG signals were acquired and analyzed using signal features and their derivatives.
Main Results:
- Green light PPG signals demonstrated significant differences under pressure, indicating flow distortion detection.
- Thirteen out of fifteen extracted features from green PPG signals showed significant changes.
- Fifteen features from sublingual PPG signals indicated potential for microcirculation assessment.
Conclusions:
- Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals show potential for effective microcirculation assessment from both fingertip and tongue.
- Sublingual microcirculation assessment was achieved by extracting 15 features from green PPG signals and their derivatives.
- Further research is required to standardize PPG-based microcirculation assessment and deepen understanding of its features.
