Electrolyte Analysis in Blood Serum by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Using a Portable Laser

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Accurate electrolyte analysis (K, Na, Ca) in human blood serum is crucial for disease diagnosis and prevention.
• Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a potent elemental analysis technique.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the real-time quantitative analysis of electrolyte elements in blood serum using a portable LIBS system.
• To evaluate the performance of partial least squares regression (PLSR) for analyzing LIBS spectra of blood serum.

Main Methods:

• A self-developed portable laser was utilized for Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements.
• Blood serum samples were analyzed on both glass slides and filter paper supports.
• Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was applied to predict electrolyte concentrations (K, Na, Ca) from spectral data.

Main Results:

• High prediction accuracies were achieved for K, Na, and Ca in blood serum on glass slides (1.45%, 0.61%, 3.80% respectively).
• Excellent prediction accuracies were also obtained for serum on filter paper (7.47% for K, 1.56% for Na, 0.52% for Ca).
• The study demonstrated excellent linearity in predictions for both sample supports.

Conclusions:

• Portable LIBS coupled with PLSR enables accurate, real-time quantitative analysis of electrolytes in blood serum.
• Handheld LIBS instruments represent a valuable tool for immediate clinical practice and diagnostics.