Optical Fiber Characterized with a Low Refractive Index can Detect Blood - Blood Increased Light Loss through an Air-Cladding Optical Fiber

Large amounts of undetected blood loss during hemodialysis are caused by venous needle dislodgement. A special air-cladding plastic optical fiber with a low refractive index, fluoropolymer, PFA fiber, JUNFLON, was developed to monitor oil and lipid leakage in industrial fields, and to monitor the dust in the air in clean rooms. To apply the air-cladding plastic optical fiber as a bleed sensor, we studied the optical effects of soaking the fiber with various liquids and porcine blood on light-loss experimental settings. Light intensity through the fiber was studied with a light emitting diode and a photodiode under various conditions of soaked fiber with reverse osmosis water, physiological saline, glucose, and porcine blood. The more the soaked length increased with all mediums, the more the light intensity decreased. Although the slopes of the decreased curves varied according to the mediums, the light scattering phenomena caused by the mediums can be applied to a bleed sensor for clinical use.