Application of microscopic smartphone attachment for remote preoperative lab testing

Current preoperative exam guidelines utilize extensive lab tests, including blood tests and urine analysis, which are crucial for assessing surgical readiness. However, logistical challenges, especially for patients traveling long distances for high-quality medical care, create significant delays and burdens. This study aims to address these challenges by applying a previously developed point-of-care (POC) device system to perform accurate and rapid lab tests. This device is designed to assist both healthcare providers in resource-limited settings and patients by offering a low-cost, portable diagnostic tool that enables both in-clinic and at-home testing.

The system was tested for adaptability and compatibility by transitioning from its original Android platform to an iOS platform. A custom application was developed to maintain the system's capabilities of capturing optimal cell images across different mobile platforms. The system's cell counting algorithm was tailored to process the captured images, featuring a streamlined workflow that includes image processing and automated cell detection using a Hough circle algorithm.

The new system provided good-quality raw images with 26.3 px/ $$ m pixel resolution and 2.19  $$ m spatial resolution, facilitating effective cell recognition and counting. The cell counting algorithm demonstrated high precision (0.8663) and high recall (0.9312), with a correlation ( $$ ) between algorithm-generated counts and actual counts.

This study highlights the potential of the POC device to streamline preoperative testing, making it more accessible and efficient, particularly for patients in rural areas or those needing to travel for medical care. Future enhancements, including wider field-of-view, adjustable magnification, more advanced and integrated algorithms as well as integration with a microfluidic channel for direct sample analysis, are proposed to expand the device's functionality. The device's portability, ease of use, and rapid processing time position it as a promising alternative to traditional lab tests, ultimately aiming to improve patient care and surgical outcomes.