BWH patients have had success over the last few months with a new form of technology being used by the hospital’s Plastic Surgery Division. The portable, battery-operated Cook-Swartz Doppler Flow Probe and Monitor System is an advanced tool being used to monitor blood flow/free flap grafts.
During a surgical procedure, a 1-millimeter cuffed probe is placed around the blood vessel. In the cuff, a crystal is enclosed that is attached to a wire probe that extends through the skin. The probe is connected to a monitor to listen to blood flow through the vessel.
“The monitor follows the patient from the OR to the ICU for another few days for continuous monitoring. The battery operation allows portability for monitoring in any location,” said Susan Lovell, nurse in charge of Neurosurgery and Plastic Surgery.
“The absence of the audible signal signifies inadequate perfusion, and the physician is notified to allow for intervention,” said Mary Willis, RN, nurse educator, Tower 4B.
When vessel monitoring is complete, the surgeon can remove the probe with minimal traction, said Lovell.