Measurement of carbon dioxide in blood
AssigneeNova Biomedical Corporation
InventorsChung C. Young, Jeffrey Chien
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of determining the total carbon dioxide concentration in plasma (TCO.sub.2 plasma) directly from a whole blood sample involves adjusting total carbon dioxide concentration measured in the whole blood sample (TCO.sub.2 whole blood) using a volume dilution factor (VDF) to give a value that is equivalent to TCO.sub.2 plasma.
Claims8
A method of determining the total CO.sub.2 concentration in plasma of a whole blood sample, said whole blood sample containing red blood cells and plasma, wherein the fractional volume of said plasma in said whole blood sample comprises a volume dilution factor of said whole blood sample, said method comprising:
- (a) loading an uncentrifuged whole blood sample containing red blood cells and plasma into a blood chemistry analyzer including a CO.sub.2 sensor and a hematocrit-measuring station;
- (b) measuring the total CO.sub.2 concentration of said uncentrifuged whole blood sample containing red blood cells and plasma with said CO.sub.2 sensor;
- (c) measuring the hematocrit of said uncentrifuged whole blood sample containing red blood cells and plasma at said hematocrit-measuring station;
- (d) generating the volume dilution factor of said uncentrifuged whole blood sample containing red blood cells and plasma from said hematocrit;
- and
- (e) adjusting the total CO.sub.2 concentration of said uncentrifuged whole blood sample containing red blood cells and plasma using said volume dilution factor to provide the total CO.sub.2 concentration in plasma of said uncentrifuged whole blood sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.