Acoustic hemostasis Free

When high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) at megahertz frequencies and kilowatt intensities is applied to animal tissue, absorption can result in focal temperatures that exceed 70<th>°C within a few seconds. These high temperatures result in protein denaturization and coagulative necrosis, with the result that bleeding in the capillary bed and within small vessels is rapidly terminated. Additionally, if HIFU is applied to tears or cuts in large vessels, a combination of acoustic streaming and sound absorption can lead to acoustic hemostasis also in a few seconds. The role of acoustic cavitation in this entire process is not clear. We have examined the application of this phenomenon to trauma care and general intraoperative surgery and find that it has many promising attributes. We shall present a general review of our work in this area as well as our most recent results and their clinical implications. [Work supported in part by DARPA.]