Orange County

UCF researchers develop blood monitor to help doctors save critical time during surgeries

ORLANDO, Fla. — Researchers from the University of Central Florida and Orlando Health say they have developed a real-time blood monitoring system that can help doctors save critical time during life-or-death operations.

Current blood tests available during surgeries can take up to 30 minutes. Researchers say the new device can provide instant blood analysis to let surgeons know if a deadly problem in many surgeries — blood coagulation — is happening.

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Researchers said the monitor uses an extremely small optical fiber that’s a fraction of a millimeter in diameter to assess the status of the blood. They said that fiber can be inserted directly into the tubes of a heart-lung machine or in a catheter, without having to withdraw blood from the patient.

The researchers’ next clinical trial will take place with pediatric patients, and then they hope to move into a series of clinical trials with adults.

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Researchers hope to see the blood monitor become available within the next five to seven years.

Read more about the research here.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.