Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Acoustophoresis-based blood sampling and plasma separation for potentially minimizing sampling-related blood loss

Manindranath, Amalnath LU orcid ; Larsson, Marie LU ; Lenshof, Andreas LU orcid ; Qiu, Wei LU orcid ; Baasch, Thierry LU ; Nilsson, Linda LU ; Gram, Magnus LU orcid ; Ley, David LU and Laurell, Thomas LU (2025) In Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Abstract
Objectives
Frequent blood sampling in vulnerable patient groups, such as prematurely born infants, can lead to significant blood loss and increased transfusion needs. Current pre-analytical technology requires comparably large blood volumes and leads to discarding of cells. This study investigates a device prototype enabling in-line sampling where cell-reduced plasma for clinical chemistry analyses is generated through acoustophoresis.

Methods
Blood samples were collected from healthy adult donors in lithium-heparin tubes without gel. Plasma separated via acoustophoresis was compared with centrifuged plasma (2000 g × 10 min) for cell counts (n=14), cell-free hemoglobin (n=21), and 12 routine clinical chemistry analyte... (More)
Objectives
Frequent blood sampling in vulnerable patient groups, such as prematurely born infants, can lead to significant blood loss and increased transfusion needs. Current pre-analytical technology requires comparably large blood volumes and leads to discarding of cells. This study investigates a device prototype enabling in-line sampling where cell-reduced plasma for clinical chemistry analyses is generated through acoustophoresis.

Methods
Blood samples were collected from healthy adult donors in lithium-heparin tubes without gel. Plasma separated via acoustophoresis was compared with centrifuged plasma (2000 g × 10 min) for cell counts (n=14), cell-free hemoglobin (n=21), and 12 routine clinical chemistry analyte tests (n=21). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Bland Altman analysis were used for statistical comparison.

Results
Both acoustophoresis (AF) and centrifugation (CEN) generated cell-reduced plasma with<0.01 % of cells remaining after separation. However, compared to CEN plasma, more cells (median count per μL 642 vs. 205, p<0.01) and platelets (median count per μL 20,477 vs. 1,537, p<0.0001) remained in AF plasma. Cell-free hemoglobin (fHb) in AF plasma samples (range 0.0–0.2 g/L) was lower (p<0.01) than in CEN plasma samples (range 0.1–0.3 g/L). Statistically significant relative mean differences in test results ranging from 0.84 % (95 % CI 0.48–1.19) for sodium to 10.50 % (95 % CI 5.02–15.99) for AST were found.

Conclusions
This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that acoustophoresis has the potential to produce sufficiently cell-free plasma for several commonly performed clinical chemistry analyses. Further studies should assess pathological samples, platelet activation, and improve the design for more efficient removal of platelets. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
pages
8 pages
publisher
De Gruyter
external identifiers
  • pmid:40613108
  • scopus:105009954575
ISSN
1434-6621
DOI
10.1515/cclm-2025-0539
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
05ee4902-4154-42c3-afed-49a8c53ac666
date added to LUP
2025-08-06 09:28:36
date last changed
2025-08-11 16:29:12
@article{05ee4902-4154-42c3-afed-49a8c53ac666,
  abstract     = {{Objectives<br/>Frequent blood sampling in vulnerable patient groups, such as prematurely born infants, can lead to significant blood loss and increased transfusion needs. Current pre-analytical technology requires comparably large blood volumes and leads to discarding of cells. This study investigates a device prototype enabling in-line sampling where cell-reduced plasma for clinical chemistry analyses is generated through acoustophoresis.<br/><br/>Methods<br/>Blood samples were collected from healthy adult donors in lithium-heparin tubes without gel. Plasma separated via acoustophoresis was compared with centrifuged plasma (2000 g × 10 min) for cell counts (n=14), cell-free hemoglobin (n=21), and 12 routine clinical chemistry analyte tests (n=21). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Bland Altman analysis were used for statistical comparison.<br/><br/>Results<br/>Both acoustophoresis (AF) and centrifugation (CEN) generated cell-reduced plasma with&lt;0.01 % of cells remaining after separation. However, compared to CEN plasma, more cells (median count per μL 642 vs. 205, p&lt;0.01) and platelets (median count per μL 20,477 vs. 1,537, p&lt;0.0001) remained in AF plasma. Cell-free hemoglobin (fHb) in AF plasma samples (range 0.0–0.2 g/L) was lower (p&lt;0.01) than in CEN plasma samples (range 0.1–0.3 g/L). Statistically significant relative mean differences in test results ranging from 0.84 % (95 % CI 0.48–1.19) for sodium to 10.50 % (95 % CI 5.02–15.99) for AST were found.<br/><br/>Conclusions<br/>This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that acoustophoresis has the potential to produce sufficiently cell-free plasma for several commonly performed clinical chemistry analyses. Further studies should assess pathological samples, platelet activation, and improve the design for more efficient removal of platelets.}},
  author       = {{Manindranath, Amalnath and Larsson, Marie and Lenshof, Andreas and Qiu, Wei and Baasch, Thierry and Nilsson, Linda and Gram, Magnus and Ley, David and Laurell, Thomas}},
  issn         = {{1434-6621}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter}},
  series       = {{Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine}},
  title        = {{Acoustophoresis-based blood sampling and plasma separation for potentially minimizing sampling-related blood loss}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2025-0539}},
  doi          = {{10.1515/cclm-2025-0539}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}