Contact-free monitoring of circulation and perfusion dynamics based on the analysis of thermal imagery

Abstract

Acute circulatory disorders are commonly associated with systemic inflammatory response (SIRS) and sepsis. During sepsis, microcirculatory perfusion is compromised leading to tissue hypoperfusion and potentially to multiple organ dysfunction. In the present study, acute lung injury (ALI), one of the major causes leading to SIRS and sepsis, was experimentally induced in six female pigs. To investigate the progress of body temperature distribution, measurements with a long-wave infrared camera were carried out. Temperature centralization was evidenced during ALI owing to impairments of peripheral perfusion. In addition, statistical analysis demonstrated strong correlations between (a) standard deviation of the skin temperature distribution (SD) and shock index (SI) (p<0.0005), (b) SD and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (p<0.0005), (c) ΔT/Δx and SI (p<0.0005), as well as between (d) ΔT/Δx and MAP (p<0.0005). For clarification purposes, ΔT/Δx is a parameter implemented to quantify the spatial temperature gradient. This pioneering study created promising results. It demonstrated the capacity of infrared thermography as well as of the indexes, SD and ΔT/Δx, to detect impairments in both circulation and tissue perfusion.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Stimulation as Alternative Treatment Modality for Wrist and Fingers Spasticity in Poststroke Patients: A Prospective, Open‐Label, Preliminary Clinical Trial

“…Each patient participating in the study underwent a thorough preparation procedure of 20–30 minutes of adaptation in stable measurement conditions, cleansing the skin of creams and ointments, and the removal of potentially compressive clothing and jewellery from the area of measurement [ 34 , 35 ]. IRT detection involved the region of interest of the anterior-medial surface of the forearm including the carpal flexors muscles region (CFMR).…”

Remote monitoring of breathing dynamics using infrared thermography

“…Last but not least, thermal imaging does not need a light source. This particular characteristic is one of the biggest advantages of IRT over other imaging technologies [24].…”

“…Heart rate [21] and BR detection [10,12,22], monitoring of thermoregulation in neonates [23] and observation of circulation and perfusion dynamics [24] are some examples where the application and performance of IRT was studied. Thermal imaging is a remote non-contact monitoring approach.…”

Touch-free measurement of body temperature using close-up thermography of the ocular surface

“…Since the eyes are supplied by blood from the ophthalmic artery from, the brain, we thought that the ocular surface temperature (OST) might be a non-invasive approach to measure the temperature of the highly important brain-heart axis in mice by close-up thermography. This is supported by the fact that the cephalo-thoracic region maintains the highest BT, as described in pigs using thermal imaging in a model of acute lung injury [12] . Thus OST appears most appropriate for rapid measurement of core BT even under changing circulatory conditions.…”