A noble RBC aggregometer with vibration-induced disaggregation mechanism

The aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs) is a major determinant of blood flow resistance passing through various veins. Available techniques for measuring RBC aggregation often require pretreating and washing after each measurement, which is not optimal for day-to-day clinical use. A laser reflection technique has been combined with a vibration-aided disaggregation mechanism, which shows significant advances in aggregometer design, operation and data analysis. The essential features of this design are in its simplicity and a disposable element that is in contact with the blood sample. Using extremely small quantities of blood, the RBCs subjected to vibrations can be quickly and completely disaggregated. This is followed by measuring the backscattered light intensity. The measurements with the present sensor were compared with those of a commercial aggregometer and a strong correlation was found between them. The newly-developed optical aggregometer can measure the RBC aggregability difference between young and old cell suspension with ease and accuracy.