Patent ID: 8425843

Claim:
An integrated apparatus for detecting inflammatory states present in a single sample of whole blood and derived from metabolic damage, physical damage or behavioral damage, the apparatus comprising: a detection unit to detect the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of said sample, in order to obtain a preliminary indication of a possible inflammatory state present in said sample; a first dispensing unit connected downstream of said detection unit, the first dispending unit comprising a first microvalve suitable to dispense a predetermined amount of said sample at least to a pre-treatment unit suitable to perform a pre-treatment in order to substantially eliminate the content of red corpuscles in at least a part of said sample subjected to detection of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR); a second dispensing unit connected downstream to said pre-treatment unit, the second dispensing unit comprising a second microvalve suitable to dispense a predetermined amount of said part of the sample pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit to each of a plurality of reactors of a reaction group for performing at least an immunological and/or coagulative reaction between said predetermined amount of the sample and each of a plurality of latexes dispensed in a predetermined amount to each of the reactors by a third dispensing unit, each of said latexes being suitably sensitized so as to cause said immunological and/or coagulative reaction, wherein the plurality of reactors includes a reactor for reacting a portion of said predetermined amount of the sample pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit and one of the latexes comprising an anti C-reactive protein antibody, and another reactor for reacting another portion of said predetermined amount of the sample pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit and another one of the latexes sensitized to detect a rheumatic factor; and an optical device able to measure the kinetics of said immunological and/or coagulative reaction, indicative of said inflammatory states present in said sample.