Patent ID: 6262798
Filing Date: 2001-07-17
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method of determining the concentrations of a plurality of constituent components of unaltered whole blood of unknown composition, including:generating a plurality of substantially monochromatic radiation wavelengths, each wavelength of an absorbance subset of said plurality of wavelengths having been selected by their ability to distinguish the constituent components and having been selected to minimize the effects of radiation scattering and to maximize radiation absorbance by said constituent components, and each wavelength of a scattering subset of said plurality of wavelengths having been selected to maximize the effects of radiation scattering by unaltered whole blood relative to the effects of radiation absorbance by unaltered whole blood;irradiating a sample of unaltered whole blood of unknown composition with said plurality of radiation wavelengths, through a depth of said sample chosen to minimize radiation scattering by unaltered whole blood;detecting intensities of said radiation wavelengths, after passing through said depth of said sample, at a distance from said sample, and over a detecting area, both chosen to minimize the effects of radiation scattering by unaltered whole blood on the determination of concentrations of said constituent components; andcalculating concentrations of said plurality of constituent components of said sample of unaltered whole blood corrected for the effects of radiation scattering, based upon detected intensities of each of said plurality of radiation wavelengths, and based upon predetermined molar extinction coefficients for each of said constituent components at each of said plurality of radiation wavelengths.