Real-time guidance of minimally-invasive peripheral vascular access procedures using a point of care LED-based photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging system

Precise and efficient guidance is of paramount importance for minimally invasive vascular access procedures. Ultrasound (US) imaging is commonly used in clinics for this purpose, but the visualization of medical needles and tissue targets are often challenging. Photoacoustic (PA) imaging holds potential in guiding vascular access procedures, but clinical translation of this technology has often been hindered by bulky and expensive excitation sources. In this work, potential of a portable LED-based PA and US imaging system in guiding minimally invasive vascular access procedures is demonstrated using phantom studies and in vivo measurements on human volunteers. In the first experiment, a 14-gauge medical needle was inserted into chicken breast tissue at multiple angles and US/PA images were acquired at a frame rate of 30 Hz, to study the effect of needle insertion angles on US/PA contrast. To obtain a preliminary indication about the potential of PA/US system in imaging superficial vasculature in vivo, brachial artery of a healthy volunteer was imaged in free-hand probe guidance. With the capability of providing real-time visualization of clinical metal needles and tissue targets at clinically relevant imaging depth and spatial resolution, the LED-based PA/US system used in this study holds strong potential in guiding minimally invasive peripheral vascular access procedures.