Two-dimensional centrifugation for desk-top clinical chemistry

We have developed a new system for clinical chemistry analysis, the Vision System, in which centrifugal force is used to separate whole blood, measure reagent and plasma volumes, and complete all steps required for a spectrophotometric analysis. The system is based on use of a multichambered plastic test pack containing liquid reagents, which can be centrifuged at 500 X g in two planes, oriented at right angles to each other. Alternating centrifugal fields allows liquid reagents and plasma to flow into highly precise measuring and mixing chambers. A unique flash lamp and diode array spectrometer provide for optical measurements of 10 test packs at as many as eight wavelengths simultaneously. The temperature of each individual test pack is controlled by using a flash lamp coupled to a liquid crystal temperature sensor. Microprocessor control allows as many as 10 different chemistry reactions to be measured simultaneously on whole-blood, plasma, or serum samples. Comparison with results by an established batch-photometric analyzer demonstrated excellent precision and accuracy for various clinical chemistry tests.