37
OUCEAA Activities
Innovations Supported by OUCEAA # 2 Real time non-invasive Haemoglobin Measuring Device
Haemoglobin ( Hb ) concentration below normal results in a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood cells and is called anaemia . In its severe form , anaemia is associated with many debilitating symptoms such as erratic heartbeat , dizziness and exhaustion . Anaemia affects two billion people worldwide and is responsible for an estimated 20 per cent of maternal deaths each year . The anaemic condition is undiagnosed due to lack of awareness apart from not having sufficient pathological labs .
Currently invasive clinical methods are being used to calculate haemoglobin levels . To conduct laboratory tests blood sample is extracted from the patient and then analysed using different reagents . This procedure causes pain and discomfort to the patient which is undesirable . Another disadvantage of this method is the delay between the blood collection and its analysis . Apart from these common problems , because of human intervention the samples may be interchanged and also improper disposal of the sample may spread communicable diseases and environmental pollution .
All the above problems can be overcome by a non-invasive point-of-care device . Users place their finger in to the wearable finger clip integrated with optical sensory mechanism . The signals obtained are sent to the device , where the device analyses the absorption levels of the tissue at pre-defined wavelengths to obtain anaemia levels . Preliminary results indicate the accuracy levels as high as 95 per cent , in controlled group ( normal population , students of our department ) in a lab setup .
Our research outcome is a paradigm shifting solution that can transform the screening and diagnosis of anaemia especially in low resource environments , especially remote areas . As anaemia is easily treatable at an early stage , we hope that our device improves health condition by enabling prompt , targeted treatment . Our product has the potential to improve healthcare for millions of people in developing countries by targeting one of the most common and neglected diseases in the world .
The developed device has the following advantages
• Simple & Portable
• Instant result
• Non-Invasive
• No Biological wastes
• Easy to Operate
• Easily Accessible
• Cost Effective
• Robust to Indian conditions
Team members : M . Venkateswara Rao , Dr . M . Malini , Ms . Akitha Kolloju , Ms . B . Sai Lalitha