Blood Flow Monitoring using Laser Tissue Blood Flowmeter

Abstract

Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) has many advantages, including non-invasive examination, continuous monitoring, and real-time analysis. Pocket LDF recorders are easy to use due to their portability. We measured the blood flow in the skin in several areas of three healthy, young men using a pocket LDF recorder. The blood flow was 70-80 ml/100 g tissue/min in the fingertip and lip, and 10-20 ml/100 g tissue/min in other areas. The real-time recordings of fingertip blood flow indicated a transient reduction during changes of posture such as raising a hand, standing up from a sitting position, and beginning to walk. Afterwards, the blood flow recovered within 1-3 minutes. The pocket LDF recorder may be useful for assessing blood flow at surgical sites after microsurgical procedures.