Microfluidic device to perform impedometric detection of Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time of blood

The Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) test is performed on a large scale, in laboratories to monitor the functioning of intrinsic and common pathways of blood coagulation cascade and the concentration of anticoagulants such as Heparin among patients. A PDMS based microfluidic device has been fabricated and tested to perform APTT as a point-of-care device using whole blood samples by detecting the change in electrical impedance of blood during coagulation. The two chambered PDMS device integrated with microelectrodes is pre-coated with APTT reagent and heparin respectively for better repeatability. The results indicate a repeatable pattern of change in whole blood impedance during coagulation and confirm the theoretical explanation by Hartert [1]. The devices were also tested for their sensitivity to different concentrations of heparin and found to exhibit a favorable increase in coagulation time for increasing heparin concentration.