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.