TCD is an Essential Diagnostic Tool for Covid-19 Patients

Coronavirus has a detrimental effect on the vascular circulation, and Transcranial Doppler plays a key clinical diagnostic role.
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TCD is an Essential Diagnostic Tool for Covid-19 Patients

About Covid-19

In late 2019 the first case of a patient with Covid-19 was identified in Wuhan, China. Since then, this contagious virus, which is also called the Coronavirus, has spread quickly throughout the world, practically shutting down the international economies and affecting a significant portion of the world population.  

Is Covid-19 a Vascular Disease?

Though initially, the Coronavirus disease was assumed to affect only the respiratory system, it was quickly understood that the virus has a detrimental effect also on cardiovascular circulation as a whole. Although the mechanisms by which the virus affects the endothelium are still studied, it is becoming clear based on accumulated clinical evidence that the Covid-19 disease is a vascular disease.

As a vascular disease, the brain is one of the most vulnerable sites due to various cerebrovascular complications and disease. Multiple reports of Covid-19 patients with neurological disorders and poor outcomes are beginning to be accumulated. These include an increasing number of stroke incidents, and in particular, stroke cases in young adults.

How can TCD Assist in Diagnosis?

For several decades, Transcranial Doppler (TCD) has been the primary bed-side non-invasive modality for diagnosing cerebral circulation. Of particular interest for hospitalized patients is the ability to perform long-term bilateral monitoring for the identification of cerebral emboli or micro-bubbles in the circulation. Another important tool is the ability to trend mean or peak blood flow velocities as a function of time and as a response to medication, clinical deterioration, or medical intervention.

The Dolphin TCD device is designed to meet all of the essential requirements for a complete diagnosis of cerebral circulation. In addition to a manually adjusted bilateral monitoring headset, the Dolphin supports the Dolphin/XF bilateral robotic device that allows quick assembly and measurements even by untrained medical staff.

Looking Forward

Automatic counts of suspected embolic events, as well as continuous trends of each blood flow parameter of interest, allow for immediate clinical assessment.

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