The sound of blood: photoacoustic imaging in blood analysis

Blood analysis is a ubiquitous and critical aspect of modern medicine. Analyzing blood samples requires invasive techniques, various testing systems, and samples are limited to relatively small volumes. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a novel imaging modality that utilizes non-ionizing energy that shows promise as an alternative to current methods. This paper seeks to review current applications of PAI in blood analysis for clinical use. Furthermore, we discuss obstacles to implementation and future directions to overcome these challenges. Firstly, we discuss three applications to cellular analysis of blood: sickle cell, bacteria, and circulating tumor cell detection. We then discuss applications to the analysis of blood plasma, including glucose detection and anticoagulation quantification. As such, we hope this article will serve as inspiration for PAI's potential application in blood analysis and prompt further studies to ultimately implement PAI into clinical practice.