Ultrasound is usually seen as a tool doctors use to look inside the body.
Hospitals use ultrasound machines every day to examine organs, check pregnancies, monitor blood flow, and diagnose medical problems without surgery.
But scientists are now discovering that ultrasound may be able to do far more than create images.
A research team from Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania has found that certain ultrasound waves can directly change how blood behaves. Their work suggests that low-frequency ultrasound may help improve circulation and oxygen delivery in the body, potentially opening new possibilities for treating diseases linked to poor blood flow.
The study was published in the scientific journal Sensors.
The researchers focused on red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. These cells are extremely important because every organ depends on a constant oxygen supply to survive and function properly.
Under normal conditions, red blood cells naturally stick together in small reversible groups. Scientists call this aggregation.
When blood cells clump together too much, blood becomes thicker and harder to move through tiny blood vessels. This can reduce circulation and make oxygen exchange less effective.
Professor Vytautas Ostaševičius, who led the research team, explained that different ultrasound frequencies produced opposite effects on blood cells.
High-frequency ultrasound encouraged the blood cells to group together more strongly. This increased blood viscosity, which means the blood became thicker.
According to the researchers, thicker blood may increase blood pressure and reduce oxygen delivery efficiency.
The scientists discovered that this happens because high-frequency ultrasound creates standing acoustic waves that push blood cells toward low-pressure areas where they collect together.
Low-frequency ultrasound behaved very differently.
Instead of increasing clustering, low-frequency ultrasound generated traveling sound waves that produced gentle shear forces capable of separating blood cell clusters into individual cells.
The researchers found this especially important because separated blood cells leave more space between each other, allowing oxygen to move more efficiently through tissues.
The scientists said this may be the first study to clearly demonstrate that low-frequency ultrasound can break apart red blood cell aggregates into single cells.
The project originally began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time, researchers around the world urgently searched for non-invasive ways to help patients suffering from severe respiratory complications. Many COVID-19 patients struggled with dangerously low oxygen levels.
The KTU team became interested in whether ultrasound might help improve oxygen exchange in the lungs by affecting how red blood cells interact with oxygen.
To investigate the idea, the researchers collected blood samples from patients and exposed the samples to different ultrasound frequencies and strengths.
The team also used advanced computer simulations called digital twins to model how ultrasound travels through biological tissue.
Using these simulations, they designed a special low-frequency ultrasound transducer capable of delivering sound waves much deeper into the body than traditional ultrasound devices.
According to the researchers, the new system can send acoustic signals about four times deeper into tissue compared with standard ultrasound technology. The invention has already been protected through an international patent.
Although the research is still in an early stage, scientists believe the technology may eventually support treatment in several major diseases.
One possible area is cardiovascular disease.
Improved circulation and oxygen delivery could potentially help tissues receive more oxygen and nutrients, which may support heart and blood vessel health.
Researchers are also investigating whether ultrasound could help treat diabetic foot ulcers.
People with diabetes often experience poor circulation in the feet and legs, making wounds difficult to heal. In severe cases, infections can become dangerous and lead to amputations. Scientists believe ultrasound may help improve blood flow in damaged tissue and support healing.
Another possible application involves Alzheimer’s disease.
The brain is protected by a natural defense system called the blood-brain barrier. While this barrier protects the brain from harmful substances, it also makes it difficult for medicines to enter brain tissue.
Researchers believe low-frequency ultrasound may someday help temporarily open this barrier, allowing drugs to reach targeted areas of the brain more effectively.
The scientists are also exploring whether traveling ultrasound waves might eventually help cancer treatment.
Tumors often have poor oxygen supply, which can make them harder to treat. Researchers think improved oxygen delivery could potentially make some cancer therapies work better.
However, they stress that this idea remains highly experimental.
The findings highlight a broader shift in how scientists think about ultrasound technology. Instead of viewing ultrasound only as a diagnostic imaging tool, researchers are beginning to explore its ability to mechanically influence tissues, blood flow, and biological processes.
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