Finger-actuated microfluidic device for the blood cross-matching test

Abstract

A blood cross-matching test should be carried out to prevent a hemolytic transfusion reaction as the final verification step. To simplify complicated procedures of a conventional blood cross-matching test requiring bulky systems and skilled people, we present a finger-actuated microfluidic device for the blood cross-matching test. Although finger actuation is a simple action that anyone can easily accomplish, there would be a variation in the individual finger actuation that may induce the user-dependent errors of the device. Therefore, the working principle of the finger-actuated microfluidic device is newly designed to reduce the user-dependent errors by indirectly controlling the pressure of fluidic channels. The constant volume was repeatedly dispensed by pushing and releasing a pressure chamber regardless of the different pushed depths of the pressure chamber, the pushing time interval, and the end-users. The dispensed volume was linearly increased according to the number of pushing times applied to the pressure chamber and determined by adjusting the diameter of an actuation chamber. In addition, multiple fluids can be dispensed with a desirable ratio by pushing and releasing the pressure chamber. Finally, a finger-actuated microfluidic device for the blood cross-matching test was developed, which can simultaneously actuate four fluidic channels. After loading 50 μL of whole blood samples from a donor and a recipient into two inlets of the device, the blood plasma from each individual was separated through the two plasma separation membranes. The blood cross-matching test results can be achieved by cross-reacting the donor's blood plasma with the recipient's whole blood as well as the donor's whole blood with the recipient's blood plasma by pushing and releasing only a single pressure chamber within 10 min.