Microfluidics can be used in various medical fields. This includes measuring brain fluid pressure. The Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure (CCFP) analyser can detect life-threatening head injuries and infections without the need for surgery or painful spinal procedures. It can help combat space-related vision problems and diseases in astronauts – so-called “fluid shifts.”
Measuring the brain fluid pressure is crucial but often quite invasive and time intensive. That is why our client Space Vision is working on finding a non-invasive solution to this problem.
Space Vision – non-invasive measurement of brain fluid pressure
Our customer Space Vision is using microfluidics for a particularly exciting application: to measure brain fluid pressure. The device developed enables non-invasive (non-surgical) measurement of the pressure.
In most people, there is a fluid connection between the brain and the inner ear. Therefore, Space Vision can assess intracranial pressure by measuring inner ear pressure.
The device uses a standard clinical technique: tympanometry. This requires a very accurate, and preferably small, air pump. Our mp6 micropump is used here. The frequency of the micropump is carefully selected so that it does not interfere with the acoustic measurements and the brain fluid pressure can be accurately determined.
Check out this great article of the ENT & Audiology News. It gives you a great additional insight into the work of Space Vision. Read the full article here.