Web-Desk (April 05, 2018): A smartphone app can help measure blood flow with a new way.
An application might be an effective alternative to a traditional method of assessing circulation in people who need surgery to restore normal blood flow to the heart, a small study suggests.
Before these heart procedures, surgeons must know whether an artery is healthy enough to snake a catheter through it to the heart to remove any blockages and restore blood flow. 
Traditionally, they use the so-called Allen test, which involves blocking circulation to the hand until it turns white, then easing pressure on one of two main arteries to see if the hand turns pink again, indicating a healthy artery.
For the study, researchers compared doctors’ assessment of hand color in the Allen test to an experimental circulation measurement app that uses a smartphone camera to monitor changes in color in the fingertips.
With the app, doctors correctly diagnosed artery health 92 percent of the time, compared with 82 percent with the Allen test, researchers report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Still, the app in the study has the potential to enable doctors to test blood flow at the bedside without buying new equipment and get accurate results that can help surgeons choose which patients may be good candidates for procedures to unblock arteries and restore blood flow to the heart, Hibbert said by email.
Related News:
