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Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a research program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work in collaboration with anesthesiologists from Beth Israel Deaconess (BID) Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and develop a novel approach for guiding safer delivery of pain and/or anesthetic drugs during epidural procedures (EPs).

Epidural injections are typically used to treat pain from herniated discs, spinal stenosis, chemical discs, chronic pain secondary to post-cervical surgery syndrome, and chronic neck pain of discogenic origin. They are also regularly used to alleviate pain related to birth. However, when not properly performed, the epidural injections can have negative side effects, such as severe headache, infection, and even nerve damage. Serious side effects may also occur, including stroke, paralysis, or loss of vision.

PSI is developing a new technology based on a novel optical sensing technique to assess tissue composition and optimize the force applied to the needle and get its safe insertion into the epidural space, while the monitoring of the pulsatile pressure in the epidermal space is being developed for evaluating proper positioning of the drug delivery catheter. This technology will allow for safer delivery of pain and/or anesthetic drugs during epidural procedures, which would significantly improve patient outcome and reduce further health complications. As epidural procedures are common, this technology will be extremely valuable for hospitals and pain clinics.

For more information, contact:

Mr. William Kessler
Vice President, Applied Optics
kessler@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003