LASER DEVICE CAN MEASURE OXYGEN LEVELS IN BRAIN

A new device can be used to accurately monitor brain oxygen levels during heart surgery to avoid reduced oxygen levels, known as anoxia, which can cause cognitive impairment in patients, a study by Duke University Medical Center anesthesiologists found.

The device is a monitor, called the cerebral oximeter, which uses one or more sensors attached to the forehead that emit non-harmful, low-level laser light through the skin and skull into the brain. This approach would take the place of more invasive alternatives, including periodic removal of blood samples from catheters inserted in major blood vessels in the neck.

Anesthesiologists also frequently use a pulse oximeter, attached to the patient's finger, to measure arterial blood oxygenation. But that approach only allows doctors to measure oxygen levels outside the brain.