Gaseous microemboli sizing in extracorporeal circuits using ultrasound backscatter.

This paper describes efforts to estimate the size of gaseous microemboli (GME) in extracorporeal blood circuits based on the amplitude of backscattered ultrasound, starting with analytic modeling of the scattering behavior of GME in blood. After neglecting resonance effects, this model predicts a linear relationship between the amplitude of backscattered echoes and the diameter of GME. Computer simulations based on the cylindrical acoustic finite integration technique were performed to test some of the simplifying assumptions of the analytical model, with the simulations predicting small deviations from the linear approximation that could be treated as random scatter. Ultrasonic and microscopic measurements of injected GME were then performed on a test circuit to determine the linear correlation coefficient between echo amplitude and GME diameter in conditions like those employed in real cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuits. The correlation coefficient determined through this study was further validated in a closed-loop CPB circuit using canine blood. This study shows that the amplitude of ultrasonic backscattered echoes can be used to accurately estimate the size distribution of a population of detected GME when the spacing of emboli is great enough to minimize interference and other multi-path scattering effects. With the high flow rates found in CPB circuits, typically ranging from 2 to 6 L per minute (equivalent to a flow velocity of 0.3 to 1 m/s through the circuit tubing), this assumption will be valid even when hundreds of emboli per second pass through the circuit. Therefore, sizing of GME using the ultrasonic backscatter models described in this paper is a viable method for estimating embolic load delivered to a patient during a CPB procedure.

Simulation of guided waves in complex piping geometries using the elastodynamic finite integration technique.

Although many technologies exist for inspecting piping systems, they are most successful on straight pipes and are often unable to accommodate the added complexities of pipe elbows, bends, twists, and branches, particularly if the region of interest is inaccessible. This paper presents a numerical technique based on the elastodynamic finite integration technique for simulating guided elastic wave propagation in piping systems. Comparisons show agreement between experimental and simulated data, and guided wave interaction with flaws, focusing, and propagation in pipe bends are presented. These examples demonstrate the ability of the simulation method to be used to study elastic wave propagation in piping systems which include three-dimensional pipe bends, and suggest its potential as a design tool for designing pipe inspection hardware and ultrasonic signal processing algorithms.