Rapid Profile Viscometer Bedside Blood Viscosity Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current clinical diagnostic technologies for monitoring the effects of anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant medications in COVID-19 patients are inadequate due to the time-consuming and expensive nature of existing tests for inflammatory and coagulopathic proteins, making it difficult to provide timely monitoring in ICU settings.
Innovation Solution
A rapid profile viscometer that measures whole blood and plasma viscosity at the bedside, using a small blood sample, to assess blood flow conditions and clotting properties, allowing for frequent monitoring and immediate adjustments to treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If standard laboratory procedures are used to test for inflammatory and coagulopathic proteins, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential measurement function from complex laboratory procedures to a simplified point-of-care device. The viscometer directly measures blood viscosity and clotting time at the bedside, extracting only the necessary diagnostic information without requiring full laboratory analysis infrastructure, thereby reducing time loss while maintaining clinical relevance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex biochemical laboratory systems with a mechanical viscometer system. Instead of using expensive reagents and complex laboratory equipment to measure inflammatory proteins, the device uses mechanical pressure application and flow measurement through capillaries to directly assess blood viscosity and clotting properties, significantly reducing measurement time
2Measurement precision
If standard laboratory procedures are used to test for inflammatory and coagulopathic proteins, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The viscometer is designed to be self-contained and self-operating at the point of care. The device automatically applies pressure, measures flow through capillaries, and determines viscosity and clotting time without requiring laboratory technician intervention, enabling clinicians to independently perform measurements and immediately adjust treatment, thereby improving productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the diagnostic measurement capability from centralized laboratory operations to decentralized point-of-care settings. By taking out the essential viscosity and clotting time measurement functions from the laboratory environment, the system enables frequent monitoring that directly improves clinical productivity and treatment responsiveness
3Adaptability or versatility
If frequent monitoring is performed using the rapid profile viscometer, then adaptability is improved, but loss of time is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The viscometer is designed for dynamic, repeated measurements at the point of care. The device can be quickly set up and used multiple times on the same patient to monitor changes in blood viscosity and clotting time in response to treatment, providing adaptable monitoring that adjusts to clinical needs without significant time loss between measurements
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 quick and convenient point-of-care monitoring of blood viscosity and clotting properties, facilitating timely adjustments to anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant therapies, thereby improving patient management and outcomes in ICU settings.
Implementation Method 1
a reservoir in fluid communication with the conduit, the reservoir being expandable. A method is disclosed comprising encouraging a fluid sample through a conduit into and/or out of a reservoir
Implementation Method 2
a transducer, the transducer configured to measure a pressure within the reservoir related to fluid entry and/or fluid egress from the reservoir
Implementation Method 3
based on the one or more sets of pressure vs. time data, determining a viscosity (or other measure of resistance to flow) of the anticoagulated whole blood, the plasma, and/or the fresh whole blood during coagulation
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are apparatuses and methods for rapid viscometry of whole blood, plasma, and/or whole blood during coagulation. The disclosed technology measures the blood viscosity through the full range of flow rates found in the cardio-vascular system. This in vitro test can be performed on fresh or anticoagulated whole blood to predict the flow properties (e.g., viscosity) anywhere in the body from the aorta to the deep veins of the leg. The result is a flow-rate dependent blood viscosity curve (viscosity profile) that helps the clinician predict and manage the patient's vulnerability to thrombosis and embolism, which is of particular relevance to COVID-19 patients and/or ICU patients.