Optical Detection of Red Blood Cell Aggregation Using Object Detection Algorithms

ABSTRACT Blood viscosity, which is an important index during the extracorporeal treatment, is one of the determinants of red blood cell aggregation in the blood. In this paper, we propose an optical detection method for red blood cell aggregations by using object detection algorithms, assuming that they will be incorporated into the flow path of an extracorporeal circulation device. By performing detection from a single image, it is a method that can detect aggregations without being affected by rotation, scaling, or the attachment and detachment of red blood cells. In the simulated red blood cell sample, the detectability of aggregations was shown not only at the focus site but also at the defocus site.