A Point-of-Care Prothrombin Time Test on a Microfluidic Disk Analyzer Using Alternate Spinning

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Point-of-care testing (POCT) is crucial for rapid clinical decision-making.
• Prothrombin time (PT) is a vital coagulation test for monitoring anticoagulant therapy and assessing bleeding disorders.
• Existing PT testing methods often require complex laboratory equipment and trained personnel.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a fully integrated microfluidic disk analyzer for point-of-care prothrombin time (PT) testing.
• To demonstrate the capability of the microfluidic disk to perform automated blood separation, plasma decanting, and reagent mixing.
• To assess the clinical performance of the microfluidic disk analyzer against a reference instrument.

Main Methods:

• A microfluidic disk analyzer was designed to integrate blood separation, plasma decanting, and reagent mixing functions.
• Alternate spinning was employed to automate sequential fluid manipulations without microvalves or surface modifications.
• The prothrombin time assay was performed on the microfluidic disk using whole blood samples.
• Results from the microfluidic disk analyzer were compared with those from a standard laboratory reference instrument.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic disk successfully integrated all necessary functions for automated PT testing.
• The assay protocol was completed efficiently using alternate spinning, eliminating the need for microvalves.
• Clinical sample testing demonstrated a good correlation and agreement between the microfluidic disk analyzer and the reference instrument for prothrombin time measurements.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic disk analyzer offers a fully integrated and automated solution for point-of-care prothrombin time testing.
• This technology has the potential to provide rapid and reliable PT results in diverse clinical settings.
• The device's performance indicates its suitability for decentralized diagnostic applications.