Helsinki, Finland – A new preclinical study published in Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports supports SpectroCor’s approach to real-time observation of myocardial tissue oxygenation during cardiac surgery.
The study evaluated SpectroCor’s technology in a porcine beating-heart cardiopulmonary bypass model designed to simulate oxygen deprivation scenarios that can occur during cardiac surgery. Myocardial oxygenation was gradually reduced under controlled conditions, and SpectroCor readings were compared with simultaneous reference blood samples from the aortic root and coronary sinus.
The results showed that SpectroCor’s myocardial hemoglobin/myoglobin oxygen saturation values closely followed the reference samples, with an accuracy of 5.3 percentage points. The study also found that changes in cytochrome c oxidase oxidation ratio followed changes in hemoglobin/myoglobin oxygen saturation, supporting the technology’s potential to provide real-time insight into both oxygen availability and mitochondrial oxygen metabolism in myocardial tissue.
During open-heart surgery, surgeons often need to temporarily interrupt or reduce normal blood flow to the myocardium. Today, clinicians mainly rely on indirect indicators when assessing how well myocardial tissue is tolerating oxygen deprivation. SpectroCor’s technology is being developed to provide direct, real-time information from myocardial tissue during the procedure.
A new view into how the heart tolerates surgery
“Cardiac surgeons currently have limited direct visibility into how myocardial tissue is coping with oxygen deprivation during surgery,” says Associate Professor Tommi Pätilä, pediatric heart and transplant surgeon. “These findings bring us closer to real-time, tissue-level observation that could help clinicians evaluate and optimize myocardial protection during open-heart procedures.”
According to the publication, real-time information on myocardial oxygenation and mitochondrial oxygen metabolism may help support more individualized cardioprotective strategies, including cardioplegia timing, dosing, temperature management, and oxygen delivery. The authors note that further clinical validation is needed to confirm broader clinical use.
“This publication is an important step in validating our approach,” says Dr. Kalle Kotilahti, Chief Engineer and CEO of SpectroCor. “Our goal is to give surgical teams actionable physiological information at the moment it matters most.”
About SpectroCor
SpectroCor Oy is a Finnish medical technology company developing advanced monitoring technology to improve the safety of cardiac surgery. The SpectroCor Tissue Oxygenation Monitor, used together with the SpectroCor Sensor, is being developed to provide real-time information on myocardial tissue oxygenation and related metabolic changes during open-heart procedures.
The SpectroCor Tissue Oxygenation Monitor and SpectroCor Sensor are under development and are not intended to be used as the sole basis for diagnosis or therapy decisions.
Scientific publication
Haavisto E, Haapanen H, Petäjä L, Raivio P, Kankuri E, Jormalainen M, Kotilahti K, Juvonen T, Pätilä T. Real-time Myocardial Oximetry—Preclinical Monitoring Device Validation in a Porcine Beating-Heart Cardiopulmonary Bypass Model. Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports. 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.atssr.2026.01.015.