The quantitive evalution of blood coagulation by laser optical imaging

Clotting tests and factors measurements have been widely implemented in clinical practice. Pre-analytical circumstances are highly important in laboratory evaluation. The haemostatic system contains four components: the vasculature, platelets, clotting factors, and the fibrinolytic system. There is already no laboratory or point-of-care test capable of reproducing the complicate regulated cooperation between these four components. The prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) only measure the coagulation protein component of the system and results have to be cautiously defined in the context of the assay limitations. The measurement of viscoelasticity of blood during coagulation directly explains haemostatic conditions of the blood. Thus, for the detection of clotting deficiency, the technologies that evaluate viscoelasticity at the point-of-care are very valuable. In this study, the development of a hardware / software system based on a laser speckle contrast imaging has been studied to investigate blood coagulation. In in-vitro conditions, the first studies on blood-like fluids in terms of optics are planned for calibration purposes In the next step, blood was studied and the system was tested in clinical conditions. Through laser speckle contrast imaging, blood viscoelastic properties were investigated and as a result quantitive evaluation was provided to help with clinical practice.