HemoSonics’ products are based on an innovative and patented technology named sonorheometry. Sonorheometry is as an ultrasound-based technique for the non-contact assessment of mechanical properties of soft tissues.
For each measurement, a series of ultrasonic pulses is fired towards a specified location within the blood sample at short intervals. Each pulse generates a small and localized acoustic radiation force as energy is absorbed and reflected during propagation. This body force induces displacements within the blood sample that depend upon local force application, tissue mechanical properties, and local structure. Each pulse also returns an echo as a portion of its energy is reflected from tissue microstructure. Because the tissue moves slightly from one transmission to the next, the path length between the ultrasound transducer and any given region within the target changes with pulse number. This change in path length can be estimated from differences in the arrival times of echoes from the same region. The ensemble of these delays forms a time-displacement curve that holds combined information about viscoelastic properties of the sample. This process is then repeated multiple times during blood coagulation and fibrinolysis to characterize the dynamics of clot format and dissolution.
Sonorheometry requires no moving parts and can be implemented in commonly available electronics, allowing for reduced size, weight and ease of use.
The company’s founders invented this technology while at the University of Virginia and have over 25 years of combined experience in its application.
- Viola F, Mauldin FW, Lin-Schmidt X, Haverstick DM, Lawrence MB, Walker WF. A Novel Ultrasound-Based Method to Evaluate Hemostatic Function of Whole Blood. Clin Chim Acta 2010; 411:106-113.
- Mauldin WF, Viola F, Hamer TC, Ahmed EM, Crawford SB, et al. Adaptive Force Sonorheometry for Assessment of Whole Blood Coagulation. Clin Chim Acta 2010; 411:638-644.
