Ultrasound to contain internal bleeding

2001/11/16 Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, Aitziber - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Medikuntza

Injury to a vessel or blood organ as a result of a stroke in an accident can result in bleeding and during this time it is vitally important to receive medical assistance. However, immobilizing blood flow requires surgery and takes too long to do so. In fact, in an arterial hemorrhage the blood speed is very high; a rupture of one millimeter can cause total blood output in 45 minutes.

Heat has long been used to curb bloodshed. In current operations a high-intensity electric current is also applied for heat generation. With heat changes occur in the structure of blood vessels and surrounding tissues: blood vessels are reduced, blood is clotted and veins closed. But surgery is inevitable, as it is necessary to maintain direct contact with the injured tissue.

Now, however, physicists at the University of Washington are developing ways to diagnose and treat ultrasound. Bypassing high-intensity ultrasound to the blood vessel or injured organ can reach an approximate temperature of 70°C in a second. This will cause denaturalization of proteins and blood clotting, stopping bleeding the organ. This method does not require surgery and can save a lot of time. Specifically, a device is being developed that can be moved to the site of the accident.

In addition to closing the wound will be used to detect internal bleeding. Today it is difficult, as internal bleeding does not have easily identifiable symptoms. Therefore, ultrasound will allow much faster detection and treatment.