Simplified variant of an optical chip to evaluate aggregation of red blood cells

Abstract

Traditional techniques to evaluate the aggregation of red blood cells by optical methods require large sample volume and provide parameters that vary significantly from one method to another. A simplified variant of a chip system previously developed by Shin et al. (2009)1 based on light transmission for measuring erythrocyte aggregation is presented. Through a detailed analysis of intensity versus time curves, relevant information about erythrocyte aggregation and its variables is obtained. Parameters that provide more accuracy for the diagnosis of patients in order to have an immediate application in Clinical Medicine are proposed.