Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
Applications for bio and health
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and its potentially fatal complication, pulmonary embolism, affect millions of people worldwide and account for a significant percentage of acute hospital admissions. DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in the deep veins, usually in the lower limbs, obstructing blood flow. In approximately 50% of cases, the clot detaches from the vein wall and travels to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism. About 25% of patients who suffer a pulmonary embolism die from it, making it the third most common cardiovascular cause of death globally after stroke and heart attack. Clinical diagnosis of DVT is notoriously unreliable, as up to two-thirds of DVT episodes are asymptomatic, and patients may remain symptom-free even when a pulmonary embolism develops.
Early detection saves lives
Early diagnosis of DVT is crucial, as it can prevent life-threatening complications (pulmonary embolism), reduce the risk of long-term disabilities such as post-thrombotic syndrome and recurrent DVT, improve treatment outcomes, and lower healthcare costs.
Fraunhofer IPMS: Next generation ultrasound
The ThrombUS+ project brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts from industry, technology, social sciences, and clinical research to develop an innovative, portable device for continuous, user-independent monitoring of patients at high risk of thrombosis.
Fraunhofer IPMS, in collaboration with VERMON, is developing the ultrasound transducer array for portable, continuous monitoring of deep vein thrombosis directly on-site. Our focus is on CMUTs (Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers), MEMS-based ultrasound transducers considered the next generation of medical ultrasound sensors.
CMUTs offer several key advantages:
- Cost-effective large-scale production
- Miniaturization with a high number of channels
- Wide bandwidth combined with high sensitivity
These features enable the development of a completely new monitoring system for early diagnosis and therapy support of DVT.