Patent ID: 8841633

Claim:
A method for measuring a vitamin K antagonizing anticoagulant present in a sample ( 116 ), the method comprising: irradiating ( 304 ) the sample ( 116 ) with light from a light source ( 114 ) for exciting the anticoagulant through its absorption of the light, the excitation of the sample ( 116 ) resulting in a fluorescent emission from the sample ( 116 ), measuring ( 306 ) the fluorescent emission from the sample ( 116 ), determining ( 308 ) a fluorescence lifetime (τ 1 ) of the fluorescent emission of the sample ( 116 ), determining ( 310 ) an intensity (A 1 ) of the fluorescent emission at the fluorescence lifetime (τ 1 ), and determining ( 312 ) an amount (c) of the anticoagulant, as a function of the intensity (A 1 ) of the fluorescent emission at the fluorescence lifetime (τ 1 ).