Medpacific’s LDV Blood Flowmeter

Abstract

In December of 1978, an agreement to transfer the then-existing laserDoppler velocimetry (LDV) technology from the University of Washington to Nuclear Pacific, Inc. was signed, and a few months later the National Institutes of Health signed for an exclusive license for production. Shortly thereafter, design and fabrication of the first-production laser-Doppler flowmeter system began. From the commercial perspective, involvement with this instrument system was a calculated risk because measurement of blood flow in the microcirculation of the skin had been done only by researchers and generally not in clinical settings. The other techniques, e. g., radioisotope clearance and plethysmography, were time-consuming, somewhat costly, and not continuous. Furthermore, they could be used only on certain areas of the skin. Laser-Doppler velocimetry promised to overcome these disadvantages by being noninvasive, continuous, and applicable to any exposed tissue surface.