It is crucial to closely monitor the circulatory system of critically ill patients, because proper blood flow is needed to supply all organs with oxygen. So far the most accurate way to monitor this has been through insertion of catheters into a blood vessel, but it carries risks such as infections and vascular damage. Therefore, there is an ongoing search for safer, non-invasive alternatives that do not require needle punctures. Carotid Doppler ultrasound (CDU) is an promising technique that uses sound waves to examine blood flow in the carotid artery and detect changes in circulation in a timely manner. Joris van Houte examined with his PhD research if CDU is truly useable and reliable as an alternative method for monitoring patient circulation, and which aspects of blood flow are most informative.
The carotid artery lies just beneath the skin in the neck, making it easily accessible for examination. Thatâs why Joris van Houte focused on the blood flow in this point of the body. Within his PhD research he looked at three characteristics of blood flow: the amount of blood flowing through the carotid artery (blood flow), the duration of blood flow during each heartbeat (blood flow time) and the maximum velocity of the blood flow (blood flow velocity). First he studied the blood flow and the results showed that while the flow in the carotid artery is somewhat correlated with overall circulation, it is not precise enough to fully replace invasive methods. Measurements can be influenced by natural bodily mechanisms, such as the brainâs own regulation of its blood supply. Additionally, measuring blood volume can be prone to technical inaccuracies, making it difficult to reliably detect changes in circulation elsewhere in the body via the neck.
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