Development of an optical arterial hematocrit measurement method: pulse hematometry

The blood hematocrit is well recognized as the versatile index of various physiological conditions especially for anemia, polycythemia and dehydration. However, the conventional method of the hematocrit measurement was conducted with the direct blood sampling. In this study, based on the similar principle of the pulse oximetry, a simple principle of optical noninvasive hematocrit measurement method, pulse hematometry, was introduced. And the performance of the optical sensor evaluated with healthy subjects was also reported. Because of its simplicity, the pulse hematometry would be promising technique as patients monitoring and daily healthcare