Patent Application
20140166503
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a detecting method and device, and especially toward a method for measuring hematocrit (Hct) and a detecting device applying the method.
Hematocrit (Hct), also known as packed cell volume (PCV), refers to a volume percentage (%) of red blood cells in blood. Hct is conventionally used as a target index to diagnosis anemia or cardiovascular disease. However, Hct is also an important factor to influence the blood sugar level in a blood sugar test. Therefore, the Hct of a testee should be detected first to calibrate blood sugar in the blood sugar test to increase the accuracy of the test.
A conventional hematocrit test is operated by an examiner, a clinical staff, or a specific machine, such as a hemocytometer. However, manual examination usually has procedure complexity and is time consuming, and machine operation has disadvantage of higher purchase cost and more maintenance requirements.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a method or a mechanism to improve the accuracy and reliability of a hematocrit test, and to simplified operation procedure to proceed the test.
These and other needs are addressed by the present invention, wherein an approach is provided for a method and device for measuring hematocrit (Hct) device.
According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method for measure the hematocrit comprises steps of adding a blood sample on a pair of detecting electrode, obtaining a response current by providing a voltage to the pair of detecting electrode; and finally obtaining a hematocrit value according to a predetermined rule and the response current.
According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a device for measuring a hematocrit comprises a detector and a measuring apparatus. The detector comprises a pair of detecting electrode having a receiving portion and a contacting portion. The receiving portion is used to accept a blood sample. The measuring apparatus connects to the contacting portion of the detector and provides a voltage to the contacting portion based on a predetermined rule to measure a Hematocrit of the blood sample.
Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention provides a simple operating measuring method and device for obtaining an accurate and reliable result than a conventional test trip.
The invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
A method for measuring the hematocrit is disclosed. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of the present invention.
With reference to
The measuring apparatus 20 comprises a pair of connector 210, a reference voltage source 220 and a controller 230. Each connector 210 has a first terminal that is configured to connect with the contacting portion 112. The reference voltage source 220 connects to a second terminal of one of the connectors 210, and provides the voltage for measurement. The controller 230 is connected to a second terminal of another connector 210 and the reference voltage source 220, and receives a response current from the conducted detector 10 for measuring the hematocrit of the blood sample.
With reference to
Accordingly, the receiving portion 111 of the pair of detecting electrode 110 is defined as the portion exposure by the opening 131. The contacting portion 112 is defined as the detecting electrode 110 positioned at the rear end of substrate 100 which is not covered by the insulating piece 131.
With reference to
The cover 140 is disposed on the insulating piece 130, and comprises a conductive concave 141 and a conductive hole 142. The conductive concave 141 is formed on a front end of the cover 140 and is configured for overlapping with the opening 131 of the insulating piece 130. The conductive hole 142 is formed on the cover 140 correspond to the opening 131 of the insulating piece 130 that forms a pathway.
In an embodiment, the substrate 100 is an insulating substrate and is made of non-conductive material selected from the group consists of: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Flame Resistant glass fiber (FR-4), phosphatidylcholine (PC). Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polyester sulphone, ceramic plate (CEM) and glass. The material of the insulating piece 130 and the cover 10 does not have special limitation and can be the same material used as the substrate 100.
In an embodiment, the pair of detecting electrode 110 is made of a conductive material and is not limited as a metal. The pair of detecting electrode 110 might be sputtered, evaporated or printed as any pattern to form an electrode pattern on the substrate 100. As shown in
A blood sample is collected by a lancet and is dropped onto the conductive hole 142. The conductive pathway between conductive hole 142 and the opening 131 of the insulating piece 130 exists a capillary action to guide the blood sample flowed from the opening 131 to the detector 10. Therefore, the blood sample contacts with the pair of detecting electrode 110 covered with the surfactant 120. The measuring apparatus 20 is turned on by connecting the contactor 112 of the pair of detecting electrode 110 and the connectors 210 of the measuring apparatus 20.
The controller 230 drives the reference voltage source 220 for providing a voltage between the pair of detecting electrode 110. The voltage creates an electrochemical reaction while contacting with the surfactant 120 and/or the blood sample to form a response current. The response current changes with the hematocrit of the blood sample. The controller 230 reads the response current to obtain the hematocrit of the blood sample. During a period of time, the controller 230 has capability to distinguish hematocrit of variant blood samples by different response current.
With reference to
Accordingly, it is noted that the surfactant 120 both has characteristic of hydrophobic and hydrophilic to increase the detection stability while being homogenous spread in the plasma.
In an embodiment, the surfactant 120 is selected from the group consists of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)—Triton X-100, TWEEN 20, TWEEN 40, TWEEN 60, Span 20, Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), sodium cholate and Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS).
In another embodiment, the voltage be inputted into the pair of detecting electrodes 110 is between 1 and 3 volts, and the period of time is between 0.01 and 1 second. In order to increase detection accuracy and efficiency to obtain a precise hematocrit value, the controller 230 has to be set in advance (for example, pre-set up by an electrochemistry aperture) and stores data of different values of hematocrit to calculate the corresponding response current.
With reference to
In the step S10 of adding a blood sample on a pair of detecting electrode is based on the type of the detecting electrode. In an embodiment, the blood sample is added on a pair of detecting electrode with a spread surfactant.
The predetermined rule comprises multiple hematocrit data. The hematocrit data at least comprises multiple hematocrit values detected under different voltages that establish relationships between hematocrit values and the response currents.
Accordingly, compared with a conventional detection, the present invention provides a simple operating measuring method to obtain an accurate and reliable result.
While the invention has been described in connection with a number of embodiments and implementations, the invention is not so limited but covers various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of the appended claims. Although features of the invention are expressed in certain combinations among the claims, it is contemplated that these features can be arranged in any combination and order.
