Patent ID: 9636025
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A system for assessment of peripheral blood flow characteristics in deep tissue, the system comprising: a support structure configured to be positioned onto a patient's foot; at least one diffuse optical flow (DOF) sensor carried by the support structure and configured to be positioned in optical communication with the skin surface of the patient's foot, the DOF sensor comprising a return optical conduit, and at least one input optical fiber comprising an end configured to be positioned proximate the skin surface of the patient's foot, the input optical fiber in optical communication with a coherent laser light source; a photodetector operably connected to the at least one DOF sensor; a software or hardware processor configured to analyze data from the at least one DOF sensor to determine blood flow characteristics at a location near the at least one DOF sensor when the support structure is positioned onto the patient's foot, the hardware or software processor configured to determine blood perfusion characteristics in the patient's arterioles and capillaries by determining the spatial speckle contrast ratio (K a display configured to provide audible, visual, or tactile feedback indicative of the blood flow characteristics determined by the hardware or software processor, wherein the at least one DOF sensor is configured to capture light scattered diffusively into tissue and transmitted at a depth of penetration of between 5 mm and 50 mm.