A measurement method for determining the correlation between the amount of haemolysis and the electric current in low‐temperature plasma treatment

Abstract

We have developed a low‐temperature plasma apparatus as a surgical device for haemostasis. A quantitative measurement method and system that analyses the relationship between the properties of low‐temperature plasma and blood components are necessary to evaluate the performance and safety of plasma apparatuses. In a previous study, we revealed that low‐temperature plasma haemolyses erythrocytes, and the released haemoglobin contribute to clot formation; haemolysis by low‐temperature plasma occurs when the value of the current originating from low‐temperature plasma exceeds a certain threshold. In the current study, we examined the correlation between the haemoglobin concentration and the electric current value through experiments using our improved measurement system. We propose a method to control the haemolysis effect by adjusting the plasma current value.