Patent ID: 7437913

Claim:
A device for determining the coagulation state of a sample comprising: a sample chamber defining a volume for receiving a sample to be analysed, the sample chamber having a sample chamber major axis; at least one particle disposed within the chamber volume wherein the at least one particle comprises at least one material which experiences a force when placed in a magnetic field; a first electromagnet and a second electromagnet for applying a magnetic field to at least part of the chamber volume, the first electromagnet being spaced apart from the second electromagnet by the sample chamber, the first electromagnet having a first electromagnet major axis, the second electromagnet having a second electromagnet major axis, and the first electromagnet major axis and the second electromagnet major axis being parallel to the sample chamber major axis; at least one sensor operative to detect a response, along the sample chamber major axis, of the at least one particle to the magnetic field; and a processor configured to determine the coagulation state of the sample based on the response, along the sample chamber major axis, of the at least one particle to the magnetic field.