Point-of-need diagnosis of cystic fibrosis using a potentiometric ion-selective electrode array

The novel approach of using a micro-sensor array of miniaturised solid-state ion-selective electrodes to analyse sweat samples for sodium, potassium and chloride simultaneously is described. The array, incorporated into a miniature flow cell which is linked to a portable PC for data acquisition, constitutes a small, portable, and simple to use analytical instrument. Samples are passed through the flow cell and over the array and an immediate potentiometric response is obtained, which can be equated to the concentrations of sodium, chloride, potassium and other parameters in the sweat sample. Used here in conjunction with a Wescor Macroduct sweat sampling unit, it promises a much simplified, much less expensive procedure for sweat analysis than the procedures currently in common use.