Method for measuring blood urea level by reverse iontophoresis
First Claim
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1. A device for determining from a contact area on a patient'"'"'s skin the urea level in the patient'"'"'s blood, which comprises:
- a housing designed to be secured to a patient'"'"'s limb;
an anode;
a container including a cathode, an exterior, a solution including urease, and a membrane operatively interposed between said solution and the exterior of the said container, wherein said anode and said membrane being capable of making contact with the patient'"'"'s skin;
means for applying a potential difference between said anode and said cathode so as to produce reverse iontophoresis to cause urea molecules to migrate to said container;
means for determining the pH of the solution before and after said potential difference has been applied; and
means for measuring the urea level in the patient'"'"'s blood based on the change of the pH of the solution.
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Abstract
A method for measuring and determining urea level in human blood by reverse iontophoresis comprising the following steps of:
- placing an anode electrode on skin,
- placing a container comprising a solution including urease and a cathode electrode on skin,
- applying electric current to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode so that an electrical circuit is established there between, whereby urea molecules migrate from blood into the container,
- determining the urea level in the blood by the changes in the pH of the urease solution.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A device for determining from a contact area on a patient'"'"'s skin the urea level in the patient'"'"'s blood, which comprises:
- a housing designed to be secured to a patient'"'"'s limb;
an anode;
a container including a cathode, an exterior, a solution including urease, and a membrane operatively interposed between said solution and the exterior of the said container, wherein said anode and said membrane being capable of making contact with the patient'"'"'s skin;
means for applying a potential difference between said anode and said cathode so as to produce reverse iontophoresis to cause urea molecules to migrate to said container;
means for determining the pH of the solution before and after said potential difference has been applied; and
means for measuring the urea level in the patient'"'"'s blood based on the change of the pH of the solution. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- a housing designed to be secured to a patient'"'"'s limb;
- 5. The method of determining from a contact area on the patient'"'"'s skin the urea level in the patient'"'"'s blood which comprises (a) placing on the skin at said contact area an anode and a container containing a cathode and a solution including urease and having a dialysis membrane adapted to be operatively interposed between said solution and said contact area, (b) applying a potential difference between said anode and said cathode so as to produce reverse iontophoresis to cause urea molecules to migrate into said container, and (c) measuring the urea level in the patient'"'"'s blood by determining the change in pH of said urease before and after said potential difference has been applied.
Specification