A novel optical assay system for bilirubin concentration measurement in whole blood

As a biomarker for liver disease, bilirubin has been utilized in prognostic scoring systems for cirrhosis. While laboratory-based methods are used to determine bilirubin levels in clinical settings, they do not readily lend themselves to applications outside of hospitals. Consequently, bilirubin monitoring for cirrhotic patients is often performed only intermittently; thus, episodes requiring clinical interventions could be missed. This work investigates the feasibility of measuring bilirubin concentration in whole porcine blood samples using dual-wavelength transmission measurement. A compact and low-cost dual-wavelength transmission measurement setup is developed and optimized to measure whole blood bilirubin concentrations. Using small volumes of whole porcine blood (72 L), we measured the bilirubin concentration within a range corresponding to healthy individuals and cirrhotic patients (1.2-30 mg/dL). We demonstrate that bilirubin levels can be estimated with a positive correlation (R-square > 0.95) and an accuracy of 1.7 mg/dL, with higher reliability in cirrhotic bilirubin concentrations (> 4 mg/dL) critical for high-risk patients. The optical and electronic components utilized are economical and can be readily integrated into a miniature, low-cost, and user-friendly system. This could provide a pathway for point-of-care monitoring of blood bilirubin outside of medical facilities (e.g. patients home).