Research examining microcirculatory dynamics in diseases that cause oedema using skin blood flow and skin reperfusion pressure

Oedema is a build-up of fluid in the tissues in the body. It can develop due to diseases including heart failure and kidney disease. It usually occurs in the limbs, where it can cause discomfort, joint stiffness or pain. However, fluid can also accumulate in the brain, which is called cerebral oedema or in the blood vessels serving the lungs, called pulmonary oedema. A type of oedema called pitting oedema is more prevalent than the other type, non-pitting oedema. In order to treat the condition, the underlying cause must be resolved. Treatment can involve diuretics to help the release of fluids, positioning to encourage draining or compression to force fluids away. Researchers at the Faculty of Rehabilitation at Reiwa Health Sciences University led by Dr Haruki Kogo are examining the microcirculatory dynamics of diseases that cause oedema using skin blood flow and skin reperfusion pressure. They have developed a device that can diagnose oedema and confirmed the reproducibility and validity of the device. They have registered the trademark and plan to commercialise the device for use in clinical and research settings. The device is able to measure the depth of the surface imprint in pitting oedema patients, simplifying the evaluation of pitting oedema, which will be extremely useful in clinical settings. The researchers tested the device across two hospitals, comparing the results with results obtained from the popular circumference measurement method and ultrasound imaging measurement. The team found that there was a strong correlation between measurements from the device and the tissue thickness measurement derived from the ultrasound. This confirmed that the device is a reliable gauge for the measurement of oedema.