An investigational near-infrared imaging technology in a handheld device can detect brain hematomas soon after trauma.
The Infrascanner detects hematomas based on the differential near-infrared light absorption of hemoglobin in the bleeding versus the nonbleeding area of the brain.
“The user-friendly device that maps out the location of the hematoma with graphics on a PDA screen can assist paramedics and emergency room personnel in attending to those injured in traffic and sports accidents, falls, and on the battlefield,” said Banu Onaral, Ph.D., director of the school of biomedical engineering, science, and health systems at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
The scanner unit is a handheld device based on a PDA platform with a wireless probe. The signal from the probe is digitized and transmitted by wireless link to the handheld unit.
Multicenter clinical trials are underway. Pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration, the device could be available by the end of the year.