SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CHSPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF BLOOD, BLOOD TYPES, AND OTHER BOARACTERIZATION OF BLOOD, BLOOD TYPES, AND OTHER BODILY FLUIDS DILY FLUIDS

摘要

A method and apparatus for determining the type of a blood sample are provided wherein a turbidity spectrum of the blood sample is collected over a predetermined wavelength range, from which is calculated an extinction spectrum. This extinction spectrum is then compared with a set of control spectra collected from control blood samples having known blood types, from which the type of the blood sample can be determined. A further method is provided for for detecting the presence of a substance in a bodily fluid sample, the substance having a size in the range of generally 0.5 to 20 mu m. Exemplary substances that could be of interest to detect include, but are not limited to, hemoglobin, bilirubin, red blood cell antigens, microorganisms, and viruses. This embodiment includes the additional step of deconvoluting the extinction spectrum to obtain a particle size distribution for comparison with a database of control samples.