Rapid microfluidic-thromboelastography (μ-TEG) for evaluating whole blood coagulation and fibrinolysis at elevated shear rates

초록

The assessment of hemostasis and fibrinolysis is essential in emergency settings to make timely medical decisions. While conventional thromboelastography (TEG) analyzers provide comprehensive information on blood clotting, their long test times are often unsuitable for emergency patients. In this study, we propose an innovative method of microfluidic thromboelastography (mu-TEG) that rapidly measures the viscoelastic properties of blood coagulation in oscillating flow through circular tubes. Our mu-TEG system moves a blood sample back and forth through a circular tube subjected to sinusoidal pressure, generating shear rates ranging from 1.2 to 20 s(-1), higher than those of conventional TEGs. The movements are monitored by a pressure sensor and converted to a conventional TEG. Key parameters such as MA and Ly30 can be acquired within 10-12 min for normal samples. Our study showed that the increased shear rate in the mu-TEG system alters the coagulation mechanism, resulting in increased coagulation strength and rapid fibrinolysis. Despite the short test time, the mu-TEG showed good agreement with the TEG5000. The rapid measurement of mu-TEG makes it a useful tool for analyzing hemostasis and fibrinolysis in emergency and operating rooms.

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