Nordic Bluetooth LE Audio-powered Doppler device delivers dependable wireless connectivity in surgical and clinical applications

A Nordic Semiconductor-powered Bluetooth® LE vascular Doppler system that has been FDA cleared for intraoperative use has been launched by medical device manufacturer, Remington Medical, Inc. ‘VascuChek®’ is a handheld, cordless ultrasound-based device that eliminates the need for tethered probes, and uses the Doppler effect to detect and listen to blood flow within blood vessels. This allows surgeons to check whether blood is still flowing properly in a vessel after repairing, bypassing or grafting it, for example. 

The device emits an ultrasonic wave that detects frequency shifts caused by moving blood cells, turning these into audible sounds or signals clinicians can interpret. The Doppler audio is played either through a small speaker located internally in the transceiver handpiece, or a larger speaker in a speaker dock. Both the handpiece and the speaker dock employ a pre-certified u-blox NORA-B1 module built on Nordic’s dual-core nRF5340 multiprotocol SoC, enabling Bluetooth LE Audio wireless connectivity between the transceiver and the dock. Relaying the audio to the speaker dock enables both louder volume and improved clarity.  

“VascuChek is a battery-powered device, so low power consumption is important, but high sound quality and low latency are non-negotiable,” says Michael Fuller - Principal R&D Electrical Engineer at Remington Medical, Inc. “Our customers obviously need high quality Doppler audio, but they also need it to be responsive and lag-free when searching for blood flow in the patient beneath the probe tip.