This device could help to prevent strokes during surgery

A colorful image showing how the diffuse correlation spectroscopy device displays a blockage of blood to the brain before and after treatment.

This image shows how the diffuse correlation spectroscopy device displays a blockage of blood to the brain before (left) and after treatment. [Image courtesy of the University of South Florida]

Researchers at the University of South Florida have developed a device that could help prevent strokes in patients during surgery.

The researchers call their device a DCS, for diffuse correlation spectroscopy. This optical monitoring tool uses fiber optics to emit light and capture a returning signal. It monitors blood flow to the brain and offers real-time information during surgery.

Doctors receive alerts when abnormalities occur in the way the light travels, potentially indicating stroke or brain bleed. The USF non-invasive device uses small plastic caps attached to the head.

University of South Florida stroke device

Ashwin Parthasarathy (left) and Dr. Maxim Mokin at Tampa General Hospital as Parthasarathy tests probes for electrical activity. [Image from the University of South Florida]

Ashwin Parthasarathy, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Dr. Maxim Mokin, associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, collaborated on the device. They published their findings in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.

“We’re looking to see how new technologies can help drive patient care,” Parthasarathy said in a post on USF’s website. “As an engineer, I’m interested in the technology aspect and as a neurologist, Maxim is interested in the medical aspect. But I can address what his needs are and come up with solutions.’’

Mokin said tools like MRI and CAT scans, among others, can offer positive outcomes but are often “bulky” while only giving users a snapshot.

“This is a small portable device that studies brain functions in an acute setting, and it gives a continuous recording,” Mokin explains.

The faculty members recently received a two-year, $400,000 research grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. They plan to use the funding to collect more quantitative data from their new device and improve treatment for patients. The researchers also plan to purchase tools to refine the technology and make it fully automated, capture more data points and hire a research coordinator.

Altogether, they hope to make the device more robust and easy to use, Parthasarathy said.

The USF team believes that the new technology can offer more information in the operating room, leading to more efficiencies on the engineering bench.

“This device is giving us more data to better understand brain signals that might indicate a stroke,’’ Mokin said. “We need to know more about what is noise, what is normal function, what are the thresholds, and what changes indicate that something bad is about to happen.’’