For years, doctors have relied on familiar vital signs-heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and oxygen levels-to monitor someone’s health. But researchers at the University of Missouri believe one key metric has been overlooked: blood viscosity, or how thick or sticky blood is as it flows through the body. Now thay’ve developed a breakthrough technology to monitor it non-invasively and in real time.
Their paper is published in the Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control.
Viscosity plays a hidden but crucial role in health. It’s linked to six of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, cancer and stroke.
Thick, sluggish blood forces the heart to work harder and can raise the risk of clots or tissue damage, said Nilesh Salvi, a research scientist in Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and lead author on the project.
“Blood pressure tells us what’s happening to the vessel walls,” he said. “But it doesn’t tell us about the blood itself. Viscosity could be that missing piece.”
The first-of-its-kind device uses ultrasound waves to measure blood viscosity in real time-but the true innovation lies in its software.The system works by gently vibrating blood with a continuous sound wave-meaning it sends a steady sound wave through the blood while together sensing its response. Then, a powerful algorithm analyzes how the sound moves through the body.
At its core, the invention is dr
Ultrasound Technique Offers Real-Time Blood Viscosity Readings
Researchers have developed a new, non-invasive method for measuring blood viscosity in real time using ultrasound. This breakthrough, detailed in the Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, could offer a valuable new standard vital sign-alongside heart rate and oxygen levels.
The invention is largely software-based, allowing it to function on affordable hardware. A prototype can be constructed with easily accessible components, potentially leading to low-cost, portable devices and future wearable health technology.
“This isn’t just a new device,” said Nilesh Salvi, the lead researcher. “It’s a new way of thinking about the human body. Once we can see viscosity in real time,we’ll understand blood flow and disease progression in ways we never could before.”
More information:
Nilesh Salvi et al, A Model-Based Method for In Situ Viscosity Measurement With Continuous-Wave Ultrasound, Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control (2025). DOI: 10.1115/1.4068392
New ultrasound technology allows for the non-invasive measurement of blood viscosity, potentially revolutionizing the diagnosis and monitoring of various cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions. Researchers announced this advancement on November 4, 2025, offering a critically importent betterment over current methods which are frequently enough invasive, time-consuming, or expensive.https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-ultrasound-technology-invasively-blood-viscosity.html
Blood viscosity – the thickness and stickiness of blood – plays a crucial role in cardiovascular health.abnormal viscosity levels are linked to increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other vascular diseases. Traditionally, measuring blood viscosity requires drawing a blood sample and analyzing it in a laboratory, or using more complex and costly rheological techniques.
This new technique utilizes focused ultrasound to assess blood viscosity in real-time, directly within the blood vessels.The ultrasound waves interact with red blood cells, and the changes in the wave patterns are analyzed to determine viscosity levels. As it’s non-invasive, the technology can be used for frequent monitoring, potentially enabling earlier detection of changes in a patient’s condition and more personalized treatment plans.
The research team believes this technology could be particularly valuable in managing conditions like polycythemia vera (a blood cancer causing increased red blood cell production), sickle cell disease, and inflammatory disorders were blood viscosity is substantially altered. It also holds promise for monitoring patients undergoing treatments that affect blood viscosity,such as chemotherapy or certain medications.
Citation: New ultrasound technology can non-invasively measure blood viscosity (2025, November 4) retrieved 4 November 2025 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-ultrasound-technology-invasively-blood-viscosity.html
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