Handheld NMR Blood Analysis With Vacuum-Assisted Microcapillary Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing handheld devices for analyzing body fluids, such as blood, face challenges in performing minimally invasive sampling while ensuring reliability and user comfort, with a need for improved methods to extract and analyze small fluid samples efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A handheld device equipped with a nuclear magnetic resonance sensor unit, a microcapillary unit for fluid reception, and a minimally invasive puncture unit, utilizing mechanisms like ultrasound or laser ablation to create access channels, combined with a vacuum system for fluid extraction and optical measurement capabilities, allowing for precise and reliable sampling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a minimally invasive puncture unit is used to create access channels, then user comfort and reduced pain are improved, but the quantity of body fluid that can be extracted is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The puncture unit is integrated within the receiving unit, with the puncture element positioned to create access channels directly into the body fluid collection area. This nested configuration allows the puncture element to be housed within the receiving unit structure, enabling minimally invasive puncture while ensuring that the extracted fluid is immediately captured in the receiving space.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving unit acts as an intermediary between the puncture unit and the NMR sensor unit. It receives body fluid through the minimally invasive puncture, holds it in its receiving space, and presents it to the sensor unit for analysis. This intermediary structure allows small fluid quantities to be efficiently collected and analyzed without requiring additional invasive sampling.
2Reliability
If multiple separate units are used for puncture, fluid collection, and analysis, then each function can be optimized independently, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the puncture unit, receiving unit, and sensor unit into a single integrated handheld measuring device. The puncture unit is formed at least partially in one piece with the receiving unit, and the sensor unit is positioned to analyze fluid in the receiving space. This merging reduces device complexity while maintaining the functional reliability of each component through their coordinated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a container for collected body fluid, provides a positioning structure for the sensor unit, and facilitates fluid transfer to the analysis area. The puncture unit is integrated into this multi-functional structure, allowing the same device to perform minimally invasive puncture, fluid collection, and NMR analysis without requiring separate specialized devices.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a minimally invasive puncture with small effective area is used, then user comfort is improved, but the speed of fluid extraction decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving unit is designed with vacuum generation capability to create negative pressure that actively draws body fluid through the access channel created by the minimally invasive puncture. This pneumatic mechanism compensates for the limited cross-sectional area of the puncture channel, enabling sufficient fluid extraction speed despite the small puncture size, while maintaining user comfort through reduced invasiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables comfortable, minimally invasive fluid sampling with reduced pain, reliable fluid collection, and efficient analysis, minimizing the need for additional samples through integrated mechanisms for puncture control and fluid conveyance.
Implementation Method 1
The receiving unit has a vacuum unit for generating a vacuum which is intended to convey the body fluid
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum unit for generating a negative pressure, which heating element is provided at least for increasing the temperature
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum unit for generating a negative pressure, which heating element is provided at least for increasing the temperature of an area at a receiving opening
Implementation Method 4
handheld measuring device for analyzing body fluids using a nuclear magnetic resonance sensor unit
Implementation Method 5
the measurements are based on an NMR relaxation technique
Implementation Method 6
at least one microcapillary unit for recording the body fluid
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a hand-held measuring device for analyzing body fluids, in particular blood, using at least one nuclear magnetic resonance sensor unit (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d), at least one analysis unit (14a; 14b; 14c; 14d) for analyzing measurement signals supplied by the nuclear magnetic resonance sensor unit (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d), and at least one receiving unit (16a; 16b; 16c; 16d), in particular a microcapillary unit, for receiving the body fluid. According to the invention, the hand-held measuring device comprises at least one functional unit (18a; 18b; 18c; 18d) for a minimally invasive puncture of the body, in particular of a capillary bed of the body.