Measuring agglutination of red blood cells for blood grouping etc. - to give numerical factor calculated from multipoint opacity determination

摘要

A sample of a mixt. of blood and a reagent is spread onto an area of selected shape and size, partic. an area of a transparent slide, to a thickness contg. 2 to 3 super-imposed red blood cells. A ray of light is passed through the layer of mixt. at several points within the defined area. For each point the loss of light in passing through the layer is measured and each measurement is identified with a loss coefft. between nil and complete obscurity. The coeffts. are all points are taken into account in a calculation which produces a numerical 'agglutination factor' (FA) for the blood sample tested. Pref. FA(%) is given by equation (I) where Pi=points of agglutination and NV=number of points of non-agglutination. Used in immunoagglutination tests, partic. to determine blood groups and rhesus factors. Also applicable to any blood tests in which a reagent is used to modify the opacity of blood. System reduces the cost of mass testing of blood samples. The time for each test is very brief and the results are precise and objective. Only tiny test samples are required.