Developing a hands-free video microscope concept for monitoring skin microcirculation in ICU patients

Abstract

This thesis describes the development of a bedside system concept for monitoring the microcirculation of intensive care patients.

Microcirculation refers to the smallest blood vessels in the body, including capillaries, arterioles, and venules. These tiny blood vessels facilitate the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste products between the blood and the surrounding tissues. Microcirculation is critical for maintaining the health of tissues and organs, and any disruption in this process can lead to a variety of health problems.

In the past decades, new techniques have been developed to visualise and study the microcirculation. One of these techniques is the hand-held vital microscope. It is a portable video microscope that can visualise superficial microcirculation, such as in the mouth. These hand-held vital microscopes have been used for research purposes, but due to limitations, these devices are not suitable yet for routine clinical applications.

Braedius Medical, a manufacturer of hand-held vital microscopes has commissioned this project to use their technology to develop a new device implementation. The goal is to solve the limitations of these hand-held microscopes with the intent of creating a sustainable competitive edge and long-term profitability.

The research consisted of a discovery phase to get a better understanding of the project context such as the physiology of microcirculation and the technology landscape.

This was followed by an analysis phase to get in-depth insights such as user pains and needs and the strengths and weaknesses of the company.

These insights were used to develop the concept vision: a hands-free automated monitoring system for the ICU that uses camera probes placed on the patient’s skin for video acquisition. Finally, a roadmap was made to visualise the strategic planning of all the key steps that need to be made in order to achieve this concept vision.