Optical Method and UV LED Based Sensor for Protein Loss Assessment in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

An optical method and a compact low-cost deep UV LED based optoelectronic sensor were developed for protein loss assessment in patients undergoing treatment with constant ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on commercially available reusable PD-10 columns (GE Healthcare®) with UV optical absorption detection at a wavelength of 285 nm was used for protein qualitative determination in effluent peritoneal dialysate; recording of each chromatogram took 10…15 minutes and required no reagents except buffer solution. For a group of 23 CAPD patients the samples of peritoneal dialysate were analyzed with the sensor; the concentrations of protein were estimated from FPLC chromatograms and verified by the standard protein assay in a certified clinical biochemical laboratory. High level of correlation R=0.97 between FPLC and laboratory results was achieved; the average relative error of determination was less than 10%.