Offset Illumination Capillaroscopy for Non-Invasive Blood Cell Counting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Invasive blood draws for CBC tests are inconvenient, costly, and limited in frequency, requiring trained personnel and equipment, and can lead to complications like anemia, especially in neonates, and are prone to hemolysis and nosocomial infections.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive system using optical objectives, off-center light sources, and electronic detectors for label-free determination of blood properties, employing machine learning and vacuum stabilization for imaging and counting blood cells without dyes, capable of being used by medical technicians.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If invasive blood draws are performed for CBC tests, then blood cell counting and analysis can be achieved, but the procedure requires trained personnel and expensive equipment, limiting access in remote settings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/invasive blood draw system with an optical imaging system. Instead of using needles and laboratory equipment to extract and analyze blood, the invention uses light sources, optical objectives, and electronic detectors to non-invasively image blood cells through a body part (such as the tongue), thereby eliminating the need for phlebotomists, lab technicians, and expensive laboratory equipment while maintaining blood cell counting capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an optical copy or image of blood cells in vivo rather than physically extracting the blood sample. The optical objective gathers light scattered by blood cells to form an image that can be analyzed by electronic detectors and processed by a computer, providing blood cell counting information without removing the actual blood sample, thus eliminating the need for physical blood handling equipment
2Productivity
If frequent blood draws are performed for CBC tests, then continuous monitoring of blood properties can be achieved, but repetitive blood draws lead to anemia in neonates
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing the invasive mechanical blood draw with non-invasive optical imaging, the system enables frequent or continuous monitoring of blood cell properties without causing anemia. The optical system can be applied repeatedly to the same subject without removing blood, thus maintaining productivity while eliminating the harmful effect of repeated blood loss
Solution Approach 2:
The optical imaging system allows the body to remain intact and self-sufficient, without requiring external blood removal for testing. The blood cells are imaged and analyzed in their natural location within the body, eliminating the need for the body to replenish lost blood volume and preventing anemia
3Measurement precision
If invasive blood draws are performed, then blood samples can be analyzed, but hemolysis of blood cells occurs as samples age
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs blood cell imaging and analysis immediately in vivo before any sample collection or aging can occur. By capturing optical images of blood cells in their natural state within the body and analyzing them in real-time or near-real-time, the system eliminates the time delay between blood collection and analysis that causes hemolysis, ensuring blood cell integrity is maintained throughout the measurement process
4Measurement precision
If invasive blood draws are performed in care facilities, then blood tests can be conducted, but patients are subjected to nosocomial infection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the invasive blood draw procedure with non-invasive optical imaging, eliminating the need for needles, open wounds, and contact with blood samples that could transmit nosocomial infections. The optical system uses light to image blood cells through intact skin or mucous membranes, maintaining blood test capability while removing the infection pathway associated with invasive procedures in care facilities
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 frequent, cost-effective, and safe blood cell counting and analysis without hemolysis, accessible in remote settings, reducing the need for trained personnel and equipment.
Implementation Method 1
an optical objective comprising at least one lens; at least a first light source situated so as to provide light to a body part at a location that is off-center from a central axis of the objective; at least a first electronic detector situated to receive light gathered by the optical objective
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques for label-free determination of a value of at least one blood property are presented. The techniques may utilize a device that includes an optical objective including at least one lens, at least a first light source situated so as to provide light to a body part at a location that is off-center from a central axis of the objective, at least a first electronic detector situated to receive light gathered by the optical objective and generate image data, at least one electronic processor communicatively coupled to the first electronic detector, the at least one electronic processor configured to determine the value of the at least one blood property based at least in part on the image data, and an output interface communicatively coupled to the at least one electronic processor and configured to provide the value of the at least one blood property.