Development of a Non-invasive Point-of-care Hematocrit Sensor for Anemia Detection

Abstract

Anemia, a condition characterized by insufficient oxygen delivery to cells and tissues within the body, affects approximately a third of the world’s population. Causes of anemia can be attributed to malnutrition, low erythropoietin production, kidney disease, and forms of cancer. Current tests for anemia involve invasive blood sampling and costly diagnostic procedures to produce results. Through the development of a portable non-invasive hematocrit sensor to aid in the diagnosis of anemia at the point-of-care, detection and treatment of anemia can be improved. Using the variance of absorption of IR and red light of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (Hb) a portable sensor was designed and created to determine oxygen saturation – the most reliable method of anemia detection.