Hematocrit analysis through the use of an inexpensive centrifugal polyester-toner device with finger-to-chip blood loading capability

• A 12-sample hematocrit device was developed from polyester-toner materials.
• The device can analyze a patient's hematocrit within 8 min from 3 μL of blood.
• Cell phone image analysis is used to correctly determine clinical hematocrits.

Hematocrit (HCT) measurements are important clinical diagnostic variables that help physicians diagnose and treat various medical conditions, ailments, and diseases. In this work, we present the HCT Disc, a centrifugal microdevice fabricated by a Print, Cut and Laminate (PCL) method to generate a 12-sample HCT device from materials costing <0.5 USD (polyester and toner or PeT). Following introduction from a drop of blood (finger stick), whole blood metering and cell sedimentation are controlled by centrifugal force, only requiring a CD player motor as external hardware and, ultimately, a cell phone for detection. The sedimented volume from patient blood in the HCT Disc was analyzed using a conventional scanner/custom algorithm for analysis of the image to determine a hematocrit value, and these were compared to values generated in a clinical laboratory, which correlated well. To enhance portability and assure simplicity of the HCT measurement, values from image analysis by a cell phone using a custom application was compared to the scanner. Fifteen samples were analyzed with cell phone image analysis system and were found to be within 4% of the HCT values determined in the clinical lab. We demonstrate the feasibility of the PeT device for HCT measurement, and highlight its uniquely low cost (<0.5 USD), speed (sample-to-answer <8 min), multiplexability (12 samples), low volume whole blood requirement (<3 μL), rotation speeds (<4000 rpm) needed for effective measurement as well as the direct finger-to-chip sample loading capability.

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