Technology Overview

Tissue Oximetry is a patent-protected, non-invasive method of characterizing tissue based on measurement of photon scattering and absorption.

Application of optical techniques to biology and medicine has recently become an important field. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has extensively been used as a non-invasive technique for tissue investigation. When light photons traverse a tissue, transmission depends on reflectance, scattering and absorption.

The principal chromophores, or light absorbing structures, in tissue are hemoglobin, water, lipids, melanin, and cytochrome c oxidase. Evaluation of reflected light gives clinical information about the biochemical status of these chromophores.