Optical Detection of Red Blood Cell Aggregation in a Disposable Microfluidic Channel

The aggregability of red blood cells (RBCs) was determined by laser backscattering light analysis in a microfluidic channel Available techniques for RBC aggregation often adopt a rotational Couette-flow using a bob-and-cup system for disaggregating RBCs, which causes the system to be complex and expensive A disposable microfluidic channel and vibration generating mechanism were used in the proposed new detection system for RBC aggregation Prior to measurement, RBC aggregates in a blood sample were completely disaggregated by the application of vibration-induced shear With the present apparatus, the aggregation indexes of RBCs can be measured easily with small quantities of a blood sample The measurements with the present aggregometer were compared with those of LORCA and the results showed a strong correlation between them The aggregability of the defibrinogenated blood RBCs is markedly lower than that of the normal RBCs The noble feature of this design is the vibration-induced disaggregation mechanism, which can incorporate the disposable element that holds the blood sample