Optofluidic Sensor for Inline Hemolysis Detection on Whole Blood

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Hemolysis, the rupture of red blood cells, is a primary cause of unsuitable clinical blood samples.
• Current hemolysis detection methods often require complex and time-consuming centrifugation for sample preparation.
• Existing techniques are not easily integrated into point-of-care (PoC) systems, limiting rapid clinical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optofluidic sensor for real-time, inline detection of hemolysis in whole blood.
• To eliminate the need for pre-analytical sample processing steps such as centrifugation.
• To enable seamless integration into existing clinical diagnostic platforms like blood gas analyzers.

Main Methods:

• An optofluidic sensor utilizing nanofilters on an optical waveguide was designed and fabricated.
• Evanescent-wave absorption spectroscopy was employed for real-time measurement of hemoglobin in plasma.
• The sensor was integrated inline with a modified commercial blood gas analyzer for testing.

Main Results:

• The optofluidic sensor achieved real-time, inline detection of hemolysis without centrifugation.
• High reliability and repeatability of measurements were demonstrated during long-term testing.
• The sensor showed robustness against common interfering substances like bilirubin.

Conclusions:

• The developed optofluidic sensor offers a promising solution for rapid, on-site hemolysis detection.
• This technology can significantly improve diagnostic quality in point-of-care settings, particularly in blood gas analysis.
• The sensor's capabilities may extend to other applications involving the analysis of complex, turbid biological media.