Measurement of blood viscosity using mass-detecting sensor

A newly designed mass-detecting capillary viscometer is extended to measure the viscosity of whole blood over a range of shear rates without the use of anticoagulants in a clinical setting. In the present study as proof of principle, a single measurement of liquid-mass variation with time replaces the flow rate and pressure drop measurements that are usually required for the operation of a capillary tube viscometer. Using a load cell and capillary, we measured the change of mass flowing through capillary tube with respect to the time, m(t), from which viscosity and shear rate were mathematically calculated. For water and adulterated bloods, excellent agreement was found between the results from the mass-detecting capillary viscometer and those from a commercially available rotating viscometer. Also, the mass-detecting capillary viscometer measured the viscosity of unadulterated whole blood without heparin or EDTA. This new method overcomes the drawbacks of conventional viscometers in the measurement of the whole blood viscosity. First, the mass-detecting capillary viscometer can accurately and consistently measure the unadulterated blood viscosity over a range of shear rates in less than 2 min without any anticoagulants. Second, this design provides simplicity (i.e. ease of operation, no moving parts, and disposable) and low cost.