LJB Development, Inc is building a prototype instrument which will aid in the placement of regional anesthesia. The prototypes uses needles equipped with Doppler transducers and a nerve stimulator to help locate target nerves. Accurate needle placement should improve the success rate and the ease with which regional anesthesia can be performed.
This work is based on patents (US 5,779,642, US 5,885,219) held by Chris Nightengale, MD who is one of the principle investigators in the project. The project is currently being funded through a Phase II, SBIR Grant 2 R44 GM57750-02A1. Clinical studies to quantify improvements in performance are about to begin at a major clinical research hospital.
LJB Development, Inc. is actively supporting ongoing research at the University of Rochester's Ultrasound Research Laboratory (URL) The overall goal of the projects at the U of R is to better understand the causes of phase aberration in ultrasound images and to develop algorithms to correct the distortion. The beamforming projects at URL involve the development of C++ software libraries which are used to control two custom array systems: the Ring Transducer System (RTS) and a Two-Dimensional (2D) array. RTS is a 2048 element circular array and the 2D array is an 80x80 element fully filled array. The software libraries which have been developed include:
LJB Development, Inc. also works with commercial manufacturers of ultrasound systems and array/probes to insure compliance with FDA regulations regarding product labeling and safety of ultrasound devices. Services usually consist of measurements related to the total acoustic power output of devices. Special instrumentation and software for collecting and analyzing data are provided as well as assistance with FDA filings.