Abstract
In clinics, blood coagulation time measurements are performed using mechanical measurements with blood plasma. Such measurements are challenging to do in a lab-on-a-chip (LoC) system using a small volume of whole blood. Existing LoC systems use indirect measurement principles employing optical or electrochemical methods. We developed an LoC system using mechanical measurements with a small volume of whole blood without requiring sample preparation. The measurement is performed in a microfluidic channel where two fibers are placed inline with a small gap in between. The first fiber operates near its mechanical resonance using remote magnetic actuation and immersed in the sample. The second fiber is a pick-up fiber acting as an optical sensor. The microfluidic channel is engineered innovatively such that the blood does not block the gap between the vibrating fiber and the pick-up fiber, resulting in high signal-to-noise ratio optical output. The control plasma test results matched well with the plasma manufacturer's datasheet. Activated-partial-thromboplastin-time tests were successfully performed also with human whole blood samples, and the method is proven to be effective. Simplicity of the cartridge design and cost of readily available materials enable a low-cost point-of-care device for blood coagulation measurements.
Highlights
Blood coagulation tests are required for most surgical operations,[1] hepatic and renal disorders,[2] and dengue hemorrhagic fever conditions.[3]
The system consists of a reader unit that houses the electronics, light source, and photodetectors and a disposable cartridge inserted in the reader unit
When distilled water is inserted into the microfluidic channel, the resonance frequency drops to 4300 Hz and the quality factor drops to 34 due to hydrodynamic effects
Summary
Blood coagulation tests are required for most surgical operations,[1] hepatic and renal disorders,[2] and dengue hemorrhagic fever conditions.[3]. Over 800 million coagulation tests are performed each year, mostly in hospitals and clinical laboratories for emergency situations and surgical operations, as well as periodic monitoring of certain patients.[6] There are two golden standard techniques extensively used in clinical coagulation monitoring: optical and direct mechanical.[7] All clinical measurements of coagulation monitoring are conducted on plasma samples extracted from whole blood by centrifuging. Portable point-of-care (PoC) coagulation monitoring devices have been developed for emergency situations and for patient self-testing.[7,8] Such coagulation devices need to operate with a small volume (10 to 20 μL finger prick sample) and without plasma extraction.[7,9] Existing PoC coagulation measurement devices primarily use optical or electrochemical measurement principles, which are indirect methods and have limitations.[8] Electrochemical detection method is the dominant method
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