Automatic control of spinal cord temperature using the data estimated by the numerical analysis model of heat-transfer

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25350574
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Medical systems
• Research Institution: Shibaura Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kabei Nobuyuki 芝浦工業大学, システム理工学部, 教授 (50096583)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 脊髄 / 熱伝導率 / 数値解析 / 温度推定 / 局所冷却 / 生体組織 / カテーテル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Epidural cooling,　by using a U-shaped lumen catheter, protects spinal cord aginst ischemic injury during aortic surgery.
It is the major weak point of the method that we could not measure spinal cord temperature in clinical use． Because it is dangerous to attach a thermal sensor to spinal cord. Due to the difficulty of measurming of spinal cord temperature, we try to estimate it using the numerical analysis model of heat-transfer from spinal cord to the cooling cathetear. After we confirm usefulness of the model by referring to the results of former animal experiments, we apply this model to calculate spinal cord temperature in many cases and derive mathematical equations that express the relationship between spinal cord temperature and coolant temperature at inlet and outlet of the cooling catheter. Applying these equations to estimate spinal cord temperature, we developed an automatic control system to stabilize the spinal cord temperature during aortic surgery.

Free Research Field

医工学