Sources inform ''Globes'' that medical device companyOrnim Medical Ltd. obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its next-generation CerOX non-invasive device for measuring oxygen saturation in deep tissues. The device can measure oxygen levels in tissues, such as muscles and kidneys, in order to test the functioning and health of the organ.
Ornim president and VP R&D Dr. Revital Shechter and CTO Dr. Michal Balberg founded the company in 2004. The FDA approved CerOX, the company's first product, for the measuring of oxygen levels in brain tissue, in 2008. The product is used to test head trauma and during surgery under full anesthetic. CerOX is already at beta sites in the US.
Blood oxygen levels can be measured relatively easily today in finger tips, but in deep tissues.
Oxygen saturation is measured by sending a beam of light through blood vessels. The light is absorbed differently by red, oxygen-saturated blood compared with blood with low oxygen levels. However, the light is dispersed in deeper tissue and it is not possible to know which tissue is responsible for the dispersion.
The new version of CerOX sends ultrasound energy to a particular area of the brain. The device then sends laser beams to that area. The ultrasound energy causes the laser beam to change only in the marked area, essentially labeling the light that passes through it.
Shechter once told "Globes", "We examine how much of the marked light is absorbed and how much passes through."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 1, 2011
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