Sonic Wave Monitor Detects Interruptions to Blood Flow

An innovative Doppler blood flow monitor provides surgeons with a direct vessel-monitoring tool to assist in transplant and reconstructive surgeries.

The Doppler DP-M350 Blood Flow Monitor is intended for checking blood flow in vessels intraoperatively, and following microvascular procedures, reimplantation, and free-flap transfers. The device can be used both during surgery as well as in the critical period following surgery, when the flap is at risk for thrombosis or for loss of patency, allowing further interventions to be performed before it is too late. The device is intended for with proprietary Cook- Swartz Doppler flow probes, which are supplied sterile and are intended for one-time use.


The DP-M350 monitor unit generates a 20 MHz signal, and conducts it to an attached probe that contains a piezo-electric crystal, which transmits and then receives Doppler frequency sound waves. The returning signal is then amplified and projected as an audible output. The monitor unit has two input channels and a visible light emitting diode (LED) indicator that is used as an additional information source to the primary audible indicator. The Doppler DP-M350 Blood Flow Monitor is a product of Cook Medical (Bloomington, IN, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The ability to identify a blood flow problem quickly is important because there is a short critical window of time during which the surgeon can salvage a struggling free tissue transfer,” said Michael Gimbel, MD, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh (PA, USA). “Cook’s Doppler system has the unique ability to monitor difficult-to-reach vascular areas and detect a stop in blood flow so a surgeon can intervene before it’s too late. Additionally, the Cook system aids in flap insetting, as it can help detect a vessel kink prior to leaving the OR.”

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Cook Medical
University of Pittsburgh