Transit time flow measurement: experimental validation and comparison of three different systems

Background. Bloodflow measurements are of major clinical importance for quality control in vascular surgery. They allow detection of low-flow situations which may influence outcome adversely. The purpose of the present study was to validate three different flow systems for measuring absolute blood flow. Methods. Measurements were performed in an experimental flow model using arteries and veins and blood or saline at two different temperatures. As a reference method true flow was measured by volume sampling. Results. Correlation coefficients between transit time flow and true flow measurements ranged between 0.71 and 0.92. Systematic overestimation and underestimation of transit time flow were observed, but after second-order correction all correlations were excellent, ranging from 0.93 to 0.95 irrespective of flow medium and temperature. Conclusions. Transit time flow measurements are exact and reproducible. Second-order correction yields good accuracy and high precision, with minimal differences among the three systems evaluated.