Neurological brain damage is observed not only in patients with severe traumatic brain injury, but also in patients who underwent cardiac surgery or even in patients with eye disease. Cerebrovascular autoregulation (CA) is one of the essential physiological factors whose impairments affect the poor outcome of neurosurgical (brain trauma, hemorrhagic strokes, etc.) or cardiac surgery patients, but are also associated with neurodegenerative phenomena that cause glaucoma.
Many patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass have post-operative cognitive deterioration due to CA impairments during surgery. Neurological postoperative complications such as cognitive dysfunction and delirium are observed in approximately 53-83% of cardiac surgery patients after discharge from hospital and up to 42% of patients even 5 years after the surgery. Treatment for post-traumatic and post-operative (neurosurgical, cardiac surgery, organ transplantation) neurological brain injuries costs billions of US dollars worldwide. To solve this problem, a brain neuroprotection competence center will be developed, which will consist of a team of scientists and doctors from Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos.
The aim of the project is to develop an innovative patentable product – neuroprotective system for real-time physiological brain function monitoring and prevention of cognitive deterioration as well as to perform R&D and clinical validation of the system. A prospective scientific clinical study will be conducted to perform real-time interventional medical procedures to prevent excessive CA impairments and reduce the risk of brain damage in neurosurgical and cardiac surgery patients.
Project funding:
This research project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund according to the 2014–2020 Operational Programme for the European Union Funds’ Investments under measure No. 01.2.2-CPVA-K-703 “Strengthening of Activities of Competence Centres’ and Innovation and Technology Transfer Centers’ “.
Period of project implementation: 2020-04-24 - 2023-08-31
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
Project partners: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros klinikos
