Hand-held Coagulation Function Profiler

A rugged, hand-held coagulation profile device, based on thromboelastometry, will be developed. Robust measurements under adverse conditions will be assured through a model-driven design approach that will maintain the functionality of current clinical devices while decreasing sensitivities to vibration and orientation of the instrument. The sensing elements will be calibrated with the clinical gold standard instruments. The device will be fabricated using a unique manufacturing technique, whereby precise laser machining of fused silica is used to create a small glass monolith with 3-dimensional flow channels, actuators, and integrated optical sensing components. This technique has been proven to be durable under harsh conditions, and to maintain calibration under harsh handling. The resulting instrument will be ideally suited for military settings, and will provide significant benefits as a commercial analytical device in civilian hospitals.