Non-Invasive Hematocrit Monitor

This Phase I SBIR project will develop a high-precision, non-Invasive instrument for monitoring hematocrit. There exists a need to have an automated, continuous, and non-Invasive method of measuring hematocrit directly on the patient as a way to gauge blood loss of trauma victims and to evaluate the success of resuscitative efforts. The monitoring approach is based on near-infrared absorption and will provide a low-cost and man-portable device for rapid and accurate hematocrit measurement. The Phase I effort will develop a prototype instrument to be evaluated with human subjects. The instrument response will be calibrated against conventional capillary bematocrit measurements. The near-infrared device will be extremely valuable for measuring hematocrit in emergency situations such as the medical evaluation of combat casualties in the field, or accident victims in an ambulance or emergency room. The device should find a large market since hematocrit is one of the most common blood tests utilized by physicians. BENEFITS: The proposed instrument will provide improved hematocrit measurement capabilities over current systems in the areas of improved accuracy/precision and portability. The hematocrit monitor will find commercial applications in hospitals, ambulances, medical labs, physician offices, and in military combat medical care.