Electrochemical Hemolysis Sensor for Whole Blood Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting hemolysis in blood samples are inadequate as they require centrifugation and cannot accurately assess the contribution of hemolysis to analyte levels in whole blood, leading to potential misdiagnosis due to artificial elevation of potassium and other analytes.
Innovation Solution
An electrochemical hemolysis sensor system with a permeable outer membrane and oxidoreductase enzymes that generate hydrogen peroxide, allowing for detection of hemolysis in whole blood without centrifugation, by measuring the decrease in electrical current indicative of hemoglobin presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If centrifugation is used to separate blood cells before detection, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and detects the specific marker (hemoglobin) that indicates hemolysis directly from whole blood, eliminating the need for centrifugation to separate blood components. The amperometric sensor directly measures hemoglobin concentration in the sample, providing accurate hemolysis detection without complex separation equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical centrifugation system is replaced with an electrochemical amperometric detection system. Instead of using mechanical force to separate blood components and then optically detecting hemoglobin, the invention uses electrochemical reactions to directly measure hemoglobin concentration in whole blood, simplifying the overall system.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If optical methods are used to detect hemoglobin in plasma, then detection capability is achieved, but the method cannot operate on whole blood and requires centrifugation
Solution Approach 1:
Optical detection methods are replaced with electrochemical amperometric detection. The amperometric sensor uses electrochemical reactions between hemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide to generate measurable current signals, enabling direct detection in whole blood without the optical interference and sample preparation requirements of traditional colorimetric methods.
Solution Approach 2:
Hydrogen peroxide is introduced as an intermediary substance that reacts with hemoglobin in an electrochemical reaction. This mediator enables the amperometric detection of hemoglobin by converting the chemical information into electrical signals that can be measured directly, bypassing the need for optical methods and sample separation.
3Productivity
If hemolysis is not detected, then blood sample analysis proceeds, but artificial elevation of potassium leads to misdiagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary detection of hemolysis by measuring hemoglobin concentration before proceeding with blood sample analysis. By detecting the presence of free hemoglobin in whole blood, the system can identify hemolyzed samples and flag them for separate handling, preventing misdiagnosis while maintaining efficient processing of valid samples.
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
The system effectively differentiates between hemolysis-induced analyte elevation and physiological abnormalities, providing accurate assessment of potassium and other analytes, thereby preventing misdiagnosis and ensuring appropriate treatment.
Implementation Method 1
another membrane comprising a hydrogen peroxide generating oxidoreductase enzyme
Implementation Method 2
oxidoreductase enzyme capable of generating hydrogen peroxide
Implementation Method 3
outer membrane comprising a thickness in the range of about 0.1 to about 50 μm for enhancing efflux of hydrogen peroxide
Implementation Method 4
detecting an electrochemical signal generated by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of Hb
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention pertains to a hemolysis sensor, a hemolysis sensor system and methods of utilizing the hemolysis sensor or hemolysis sensor system to monitor or detect hemolysis in a sample, such as a whole blood sample, a plasma sample, a serum sample or hemolyzed blood. The hemolysis sensor responds to extracellular hemoglobin levels, for example, extracellular hemoglobin in a whole blood sample as a method for detecting hemolysis in whole blood.