Patent ID: 8421458

Claim:
A method for obtaining a T 2 time domain signal of a blood sample, the method comprising using a nuclear magnetic resonance device to perform the steps of: (a) applying a radiofrequency CPMG pulse sequence in the presence of a magnetic field of from 0.2 to 2.0 Tesla to the blood sample having an estimated T 2 value and a sample container containing the blood sample, resulting in an NMR signal associated with the blood sample and an NMR signal associated with the sample container, wherein the sample container comprises a polymeric material, and wherein the contribution of the NMR signal associated with the sample container to the T 2 time domain signal of the blood sample is reduced by using a CPMG pulse sequence having acquisition time greater than five times the estimated T 2 value of the blood sample; (b) acquiring the resulting NMR signals to obtain raw data; and (c) processing the resulting NMR signals to obtain the T 2 time domain signal of the blood sample, wherein the estimated T 2 value of the blood sample is determined, prior to step (a), by (i) using a nuclear magnetic resonance device to acquire NMR signals of the blood and a sample container containing the blood sample to produce whole raw data, (ii) using a processor to computationally discriminate a contribution from the sample container to the whole raw data to obtain sample data, partly or completely, free of the contribution from the sample container; and (iii) calculating from the sample data the estimated T 2 value of the blood sample.