(SPIE, 2019-02-26) Cugmas, Blaž; Štruc, Eva; Spīgulis, Jānis
In this study, we clinically evaluated a pulse oximeter-based device for automated capillary refill time (CRT) estimation
in dogs and cats. CRT can reveal conditions like shock or anemia in dogs and cats. However, visual CRT estimation has
low repeatability, and the available optical systems for automated estimation are not suitable for pets. We evaluated a
custom-made portable CRT measuring device on various measurement sites of 12 dogs and 11 cats with parallel visual
CRT estimation on the gum by treating veterinarian. The capillary refill was also recorded by a video camera for
reference. The visual and video procedures were moderately correlated with the coefficient of 0.61; visual CRT values
were on average for 0.18 s longer than the reference. On average, ~32% of measurements with the proposed device were
successful. The rest failed due to excessive pigmentation, motion artifacts, and other pressure-induced effects. The
measurement sites of the metacarpal pad, digit, and tail were moderately correlated with the reference values with
coefficients of 0.53, 0.58, and 0.42, respectively.