Houston Methodist is first in United States to use robotic ultrasound technology to noninvasively evaluate brain blood flow
Houston Methodist is first in the United States to offer the LucidTM Robotic System, an FDA-cleared fully autonomous robotic ultrasound system used for brain blood flow and detection of cerebral embolization.
The platform combines an all-in-one neurovascular ultrasound device, designed to non-invasively measure and display objective brain blood flow information in real time.
“At Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, we are particularly focused on reducing stroke and committed to providing the best care for our patients,” said Alan B. Lumsden, M.D., medical director and chair of cardiovascular surgery. “Being among the first centers to use the robotic ultrasound technology reflects our commitment to providing our patients and reducing the incidence of this life altering event. We think of this as a stethoscope to the brain.”
The Lucid Robotic System addresses several clinical challenges; minimizes the need for highly skilled personnel to apply the probes which detect and measure flow and continuously adjusting the detection process autonomously. This makes the important monitoring technology available to a much larger group of patients and goes beyond supporting initial neurological assessment. It can be utilized throughout the patient care chain: from bubble studies in the identification of right-to-left shunts, to monitoring for changes in cerebral blood flow velocities, to emboli monitoring during or after a procedure. These assessments can be performed both in an inpatient or outpatient setting, potentially without the need for more invasive and costly tests. The technology empowers clinicians with critical information to assess neurological disorders.
Neurological disorders such as stroke is a major health care burden, affecting more than 795,000 people in the U.S. annually. It is a time sensitive disease and requires rapid assessment and intervention. Incorrect assessment of stroke leads to misdiagnosis and treatment delays, resulting in death or disability for patients
“Despite recent advances in life-saving treatments for acute ischemic stroke, many patients don’t qualify for optimal clinical intervention because they are brought in past the viable treatment window,” Lumsden said. “Integrating the LucidTM Robotic System gives clinicians a chance to look inside the brain at blood flow patterns in real time and rapidly identify physiological changes associated with neurological disorders, enabling efficient diagnosis and triage for treatment.”
ABOUT THE LUCID ROBOTIC SYSTEM
The Lucid™ Robotic System (Lucid™ M1 Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound System® and NeuralBot™ System) is a robotically assisted ultrasound system for brain health assessment. It combines an all-in-one neurovascular ultrasound device, designed to non-invasively measure and display brain blood flow information, with a medical robotic headset to collect blood flow data under the guidance of a healthcare professional. The Lucid Robotic System received FDA clearance and CE mark approval in 2018. Research data demonstrated there was no statistical difference between ultrasound blood flow data collected with the Lucid Robotic System or data collected manually by an expert technician with its traditional ultrasound platform.