DURING PHASE II DEVELOPMENTAL WORK ON A CONTINUOUS FLOW ULTRASONIC PLASMA/BLOOD CELL SEPARATOR TRA FOUND THAT IT WAS ABLE TO BAND AND MOVE BLOOD CELLS (THUS SEPARATING THEM FROM PLASMA) IN MICROHEMATOCRIT TUBES.

DURING PHASE II DEVELOPMENTAL WORK ON A CONTINUOUS FLOW ULTRASONIC PLASMA/BLOOD CELL SEPARATOR TRA FOUND THAT IT WAS ABLE TO BAND AND MOVE BLOOD CELLS (THUS SEPARATING THEM FROM PLASMA) IN MICROHEMATOCRIT TUBES. THIS CAPABILITY ALLOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DEVICE WHICH WILL RAPIDLY, IN A MATTER OF SECOND,S DETERMINE HEMATOCRIT FROM BLOOD CONTAINED IN A HEMATOCRIT TUBE AS WELL AS ALLOW THE COLLECTION OF CELL FREE PLASMA TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY USED FOR ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS PLASMA PARAMETERS. THIS CAPABILITY WILL GREATLY ASSIST FIELD MEDICAL PERSONNEL IN THE DELIVERY OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE BY PROVIDING CARDIO-VASCULAR SYSTEM INFORMATION. THIS PHASE I STUDY WILL DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE DEVICE AND PROVIDE THE FRAMEWORK AND DATA NECESSARY FOR PHASE II DEVELOPMENT. THE END PRODUCT WILL BE A TOTALLY PORTABLE HEMATOCRIT MEASURMENT APPARATUS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HAND HELD DIGITAL MULTIMETER. AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF THE DEVICE WILL PROVIDE IN ADDITION CELL FREE PLASMA.