BFI
Brain Fluid Interfaces
What is BFI?
A Brain Fluid Interface (BFI) is a device or technology that provides actionable data or control outputs to machines, computers, or clinical systems by measuring, monitoring, or acting upon the fluids of the brain: cerebrospinal fluid , interstitial fluid, cerebral blood, and glymphatic system flow.
Cerebrospinal Fluid & the Glymphatic System
The brain is approx 2% of body weight, but consumes 20% of the body’s energy and oxygen. This high energy consumption generates high levels of metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide, lactate, ions, proteins, and more. The Glymphatic system is the method by which this waste is cleared to keep the brain healthy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows through the brain, mixing with interstitial fluid between brain cells, creating glymphatic flow that flushes away the waste product.
The brain floats in Cerebrospinal Fluid, allowing it to also act as a shock absorber. When healthy, the brain adjusts the levels of CSF via diffusion to maintain appropriate intracranial pressure. However, there are quite a few diseases and injuries that disturb this balance resulting in a dangerous build-up of pressure or blood contaminating the CSF.
Cerebral Blood Flow & Intracranial Compliance
Arterial blood is the primary source of oxygen, glucose and other nutrients to the brain. Cerebral perfusion describes how effectively those nutrients are making it to the neurons that need them to function and survive. When brain pressure is high, the heart has a hard time overcoming that pressure to perfuse the brain. Poor perfusion is the primary cause of long-term secondary brain injury.
Intracranial Compliance is the brain’s ability to accommodate changes in the fluid volume within the skull. When a person is living with poor intracranial compliance, even small changes in brain fluids can require emergency intervention. This could be a person living with hydrocephalus that doesn’t have the ability to properly reabsorb CSF or someone who experiences swelling from a TBI. Characterizing this tolerance for each person is also important to personalize neuro infusion, such as administering pain medication or chemotherapy into the brain or spine.
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