Ultrasonic method for the whole blood coagulation analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Ultrasound Physics

Background:

• Blood clotting is a complex physiological process critical for hemostasis.
• Accurate and real-time monitoring of coagulation is essential for clinical diagnostics and research.
• Existing methods for assessing blood clotting may have limitations in sensitivity or real-time applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel ultrasonic method for monitoring blood clotting dynamics.
• To investigate the relationship between ultrasound velocity changes and specific stages of blood coagulation.
• To assess the feasibility of using ultrasound velocity for sensitive and real-time blood clotting analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the pulse echo method for ultrasound velocity measurements in blood samples.
• Employed a custom-designed, biologically compatible measurement cell (5 mm length, 0.2 ml volume).
• Implemented digital filtering for signal smoothing and achieved a sensitivity of +/-3 cm/s at 5 MHz frequency.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that ultrasound velocity changes predictably during blood clotting.
• Obtained detailed coagulation curves reflecting distinct stages from initiation to lysis.
• Registered fine structures in ultrasonic velocity changes throughout the entire clotting process.
• Validated the system with blood samples from several hundred volunteers.

Conclusions:

• The developed ultrasonic method provides a sensitive and real-time approach to monitor blood clotting.
• Ultrasound velocity changes offer a unique signature for characterizing different phases of coagulation.
• The proposed method has potential applications in clinical diagnostics and hematological research.
• Acrylamide polymerization was proposed as a reference liquid for system calibration and validation.