Noninvasix careers

Scientists and engineers at Noninvasix have devised an elegant solution for non-invasively detecting cerebral oxygenation in the neonatal intensive care unit. Using patented optoacoustic technology, they are developing a monitoring system for at-risk babies to measure the amount of oxygen in the brain in real time.

Using a sensitive, wide-band head strap to access the superior sagittal sinus through the front and back fontanelles of the baby’s still-forming skull, the optoacoustic monitoring system sends short laser pulses of near-infrared light into the brain. Light absorption causes rapid thermal expansion of the hemoglobin resulting in a measurable acoustic wave whose amplitude is proportional to the concentration of hemoglobin. An acoustic transducer then detects these waves, and time resolution of the resulting signal determines the depth from which the signal originated. The percent of oxygenated hemoglobin can then be displayed on a patient monitor.