Photoacoustic monitoring of lung injuries (Conference Presentation)

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) accounts for 10% of ICU admissions, and carries a 40% mortality rate. Although easily diagnosed using X-rays and CT scans, monitoring of ARDS’s therapeutic response requires exposure of patients to high radiation doses. X-rays and CTs also also fail to capture dynamic physiological insights like regional hypoxia and vascular leakage. This study proposes the use of ultrasound (US) guided photoacoustic (PA) imaging to detect such lung injuries. An ARDS mouse model was created by inoculating E. coli on lungs. The VevoLAZR system imaged the lungs at baseline and 2 hours post-infection. Results showed a significant decline in oxygenation and increased US/PA signals, demonstrating the feasibility of US/PA imaging as viable, non-radiative, bedside methods for ARDS monitoring.