Optical Blood-Coagulation Sensor Using Laser Speckle Rheology
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring blood coagulation are inadequate for real-time, point-of-care assessment, particularly in critically ill or injured patients, as they are often time-consuming, expensive, and fail to provide comprehensive information on clotting parameters, leading to delayed management of bleeding or thrombosis and increased mortality risks.
Innovation Solution
A hand-held optical thromboelastography system that uses laser speckle rheology to measure clotting time, clot formation rate, clot strength, fibrinogen function, fibrinolysis, and platelet function from a single drop of blood, providing real-time data through a portable and cost-effective device integrated with a smartphone or data processing unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If laboratory-based blood coagulation testing is used, then comprehensive coagulation parameters can be measured, but the testing process is time-consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/chemical laboratory testing methods with an optical measurement system. A laser source illuminates the blood sample, and a detector captures scattered light to generate speckle patterns. The system measures blood coagulation parameters by analyzing temporal fluctuations in these optical patterns, eliminating the need for complex mechanical mixing and chemical reagents used in traditional laboratory testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an optical copy or representation of the blood sample's physical state through speckle patterns. Instead of directly measuring physical clot formation, the system captures light scattering patterns that replicate the sample's structural information, allowing indirect but accurate measurement of coagulation parameters through optical field analysis.
2Loss of information
If traditional blood coagulation monitoring is implemented, then clotting time can be measured, but comprehensive information on clot formation rate, strength, and platelet function is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal measurement system that simultaneously provides multiple coagulation parameters (clotting time, clot formation rate, clot strength, platelet function) through a single optical measurement platform. The same laser-speckle setup and data processing algorithm extract all these parameters from the temporal evolution of speckle patterns, eliminating the need for separate specialized tests for each parameter.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the coagulation process into distinct measurable phases by analyzing different temporal characteristics of speckle fluctuations. Early-stage fluctuations reveal platelet function and initial clot formation, while later-stage patterns indicate clot strength and stability. This temporal segmentation allows comprehensive assessment without requiring separate tests for each coagulation aspect.
3Measurement precision
If frequent laboratory testing is performed to monitor coagulation status, then accurate dosing information can be obtained, but healthcare costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable micro-sample chamber or capillary that holds a small volume of blood for rapid testing. This single-use component eliminates the need for expensive, complex laboratory equipment for each test. The inexpensive disposable element can be discarded after one use, making frequent monitoring economically viable without compromising measurement accuracy.
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 rapid, comprehensive assessment of blood coagulation status, reducing the need for frequent laboratory testing, improving anticoagulation therapy safety, and lowering the risk of life-threatening bleeding or thrombosis while being more cost-effective and portable than existing devices.
Implementation Method 1
a detector disposed to acquire light scattered by a medium within the chamber through the superstrate and to provide a data output representing a cross-polarized speckle pattern generated by the medium
Implementation Method 2
provide a data output representing a cross-polarized speckle pattern generated by the medium
Implementation Method 3
which optionally may include a vibration-isolating platform operable to compensate for a relative movement between the base substrate and the housing unit
Implementation Method 4
The electronic circuitry is programmed to be operable communication with the detector to measure, based on the data output, a time-averaged total reflectance parameter characterizing the medium
Implementation Method 5
to calculate, based on the total reflectance parameter, a mean square displacement associated with optical scatterers of the medium
Data Source
AI summary
Hand-held optical thromboelastographic sensor and method of using the same for simultaneous assessment of multiple parameters of blood coagulation at a point-of-care. The sensor includes an optical system registering laser speckle intensity associated with a stationary blood sample and data-processing circuitry programmed to derive the multiple parameters from speckle intensity. The circuitry may be part of a mobile device configured to operate without communication with a central server and/or data storage.