Patent ID: 6645368
Filing Date: 2003-11-11
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
An apparatus for determining the concentration of a medically significant component of a biological fluid, the apparatus comprising a cell for receiving a sample of the fluid, the cell supporting a chemistry which reacts with the medically significant component and first and second terminals across which the reaction of the chemistry with the medically significant component can be assessed, an instrument having first and second terminals complementary to the first and second terminals, respectively, of the cell, placement of the first and second terminals of the cell in contact with the first and second terminals, respectively, of the instrument permitting the instrument to assess the reaction, the instrument including an assessment controller configured to apply across the first and second terminals of the instrument a first signal having an AC component, to determine a first correction value in response of the cell to the first signal, to assess the reaction of the medically significant component with the chemistry and to combine the correction value with the result of the reaction assessment to produce an indication of the concentration of the medically significant component in the sample.