Application of near-infrared spectroscopy in monitoring blood perfusion in digital replantation

Using a near-infrared optical device developed by ViOptix, Inc., a clinical study on post-operative non-invasive monitoring of finger blood perfusion has been conducted for 48 patients undergoing digital replantation at the California Pacific Medical Center. The study showed that non-survival digits have their tissue oxygen saturation (StO(2)) values significantly lower than those for the controls in general, but survival digits did not. Further, the StO(2) values can be used to define a survival index, in terms of which a digit survival criterion was tentatively suggested. Applying the criterion to the 64 digits (with 3 of them non-survival) involved in the clinical study, the sensitivity and the specificity were high. Therefore the device may have potential to be used in post-operative monitoring for digit replantation.