Dynamic and quantitative assessment of blood coagulation using optical coherence elastography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Diagnostics
• Optical Coherence Tomography
• Acoustic Radiation Force

Background:

• Effective diagnosis of blood coagulation is crucial for managing cardiovascular diseases and coagulopathy.
• Current diagnostic methods may lack the dynamic and quantitative assessment capabilities needed for real-time treatment guidance.
• Non-contact measurement techniques offer potential advantages in preserving sample integrity and enabling continuous monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a non-contact method for dynamic and quantitative assessment of whole blood coagulation.
• To utilize acoustic radiation force orthogonal excitation optical coherence elastography (ARFOE-OCE) for measuring the elastic modulus of blood clots.
• To correlate the measured elastic properties with clinically relevant coagulation metrics.

Main Methods:

• Employed acoustic radiation force (ARF) generated by an ultrasonic transducer to induce shear waves in whole blood.
• Utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect and measure the velocity of the induced shear waves.
• Quantified changes in the elastic modulus (shear modulus) of porcine whole blood during coagulation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that ARFOE-OCE can dynamically measure the elastic properties of blood clots.
• Showed a correlation between shear wave velocity and key coagulation parameters like reaction time, clot formation kinetics, and maximum shear modulus.
• Successfully differentiated the elastic properties of recalcified porcine blood, kaolin-activated blood, and fibrinogen-spiked blood.

Conclusions:

• ARFOE-OCE provides a sensitive, non-contact method for quantitative assessment of blood coagulation.
• The system accurately reflects clot formation kinetics and elastic changes during coagulation.
• This technology holds promise for improved diagnostics in cardiovascular diseases and coagulopathy.