Effectiveness of holographic optical element module sensor in measuring blood prothrombin time

A small-form-factor holographic optical element (HOE) module, which was mounted on a dual-stage seesaw actuator, was utilized to evaluate blood coagulation in real time. The method involved assessing the decrease in transmitted light of the blood sample surface when the clotting is formed. The prothrombin time (PT) was measured by illumining and focusing a 635 nm laser beam onto the sample. As the fibrinogen turned into non-solute fibrin, the transmitted efficiency and total intensity of the reflected light from the reflector changed. A low-pass filter suppressed the noise in the coagulation-related transient response to yield accurate signals. Finally, the PT measurements were compared to those made classically using other optical sensors. (paper)