A clinical trial has demonstrated that a technology developed by Australian company Cyban has produced similar results to invasive intracranial pressure monitoring (ICP).
The trial included 12 critically ill patients with acute brain injury who routinely had invasive ICP monitoring. It compared this to the non-invasive Cyban brain pulse monitor.
The company said the trial revealed similar results between the two methods, opening up the possibility for a reliable and non-invasive alternative to ICP monitoring.
According to Cyban's founder and chief scientific officer, Dr Barry Dixon, the findings highlight the potential for the technology in addressing one of the world's greatest health issues.
"Through this trial we have been able to demonstrate the possibility of this technology in offering a simple, continuous and safe monitoring alternative of the brain to ultimately assist in providing earlier detection of brain injury or its complications," said Dr Dixon.
"A major challenge in managing acute brain injury is how to continuously monitor the brain to detect secondary brain injury. Early detection of a complication is vital to reduce death and disability, and historically ICP has been the most reliable monitoring solutions however it is incredibly invasive and complex."
ICP monitoring is expensive and has significant risks due to the surgical procedure required to insert the monitoring probe, including ventricular infection and haemorrhage. Due to the high costs and risks, invasive monitoring is usually reserved for cases of severe brain injury, meaning it is generally confined to clinical examination.
Cyban's technology is a non-invasive brain pulse monitor that uses red light to detect a photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal from the blood vessels on the brain's surface, to measure both ICP and brain oxygen levels.
The company said the trial found that the non-invasive brain pulse monitor PPG waveform features are similar to the invasive ICP waveforms, and ICP levels from Cyban's algorithm correlated with ICP levels that were measured invasively.
