A New Device for Monitoring Stroke Patients Before a Recurrence

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Florida have shown that cerebral optically-based near infrared spectroscopic oximetry applied to patients who have suffered a stroke can help monitor regional cerebral perfusion in real time, and thus "may serve as a useful, noninvasive, bedside intensive care unit monitoring tool to assess brain oxygenation in a direct manner." The study was using the device called Fore-Sight from Casmed of Branford, Connecticut, that measures blood oxygen, similar to a finger clip pulse oximeter. The Mayo study results in post-stroke patients have been published in Journal of Neurosurgery this month.

The Atlantic, 02/06/2012