摘要 |
<p>An apparatus and method (200) accurately and reliably measures the hematocrit value in blood or other fluid medium by passing a diluted blood or other fluid through a generally optically transparent measurement flow line (202). The apparatus and method measures the light transmitted (203) through the measurement flow line and the fluid medium and computes a hematocrit value which is compared to a range of optimum values (204). If the measured value does not fall within the range of optimum values, the apparatus and method adjusts the dilution of the blood and other fluid medium with a dilution fluid, such as a saline solution (207), establishing a dilution factor, until the measured hematocrit is within the optimal range. The hematocrit value can then accurately and reliably be computed using the dilution factor (205) and the measured light through the diluted fluid medium.</p> |