Electrolyte Analysis in Blood Serum by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Using a Portable Laser

Abstract

The fast and reliable analysis of electrolytes such as K, Na, Ca in human blood serum has become an indispensable tool for diagnosing and preventing diseases. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been demonstrated as a powerful analytical technique on elements. To apply LIBS to the quantitative analysis of electrolyte elements in real time, a self-developed portable laser was used to measure blood serum samples supported by glass slides and filter paper in this work. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) method was employed for predicting the concentrations of K, Na, Ca from serum LIBS spectra. Great prediction accuracies with excellent linearity were obtained for the serum samples, both on glass slides and filter paper. For blood serum on glass slides, the prediction accuracies for K, Na, Ca were 1.45%, 0.61% and 3.80%. Moreover, for blood serum on filter paper, the corresponding prediction accuracies were 7.47%, 1.56% and 0.52%. The results show that LIBS using a portable laser with the assistance of PLSR can be used for accurate quantitative analysis of elements in blood serum in real time. This work reveals that the handheld LIBS instruments will be an excellent tool for real-time clinical practice.

Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages

“…Overall, the work demonstrated a rapid and straightforward approach for analysis of multiple electrolytes in a single run. Feng et al 146 employed a portable LIBS device for the determination of Ca, K and Na in blood serum. Filter paper and glass slides were used as the substrate, however, both required blank correction due to their contribution to the signal.…”

Fast determination of electrolyte elements in human blood plasma using surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy combined with a gel film method

“…28 Z. Feng et al deposited human blood serum on qualitative lter paper and glass slides, naturally dried it for 10 minutes, and detected K, Na, and Ca in the blood serum. 29 Y. Chu et al prepared a boric acid pellet, dripped human serum on the pellet and air-dried it, and then detected Na, K, Zn, and Mg in the blood serum. 30 Filter paper, glass, and boric acid are hydrophilic.…”