Noninvasive Optical, Electrical, and Acoustic Methods of Total Hemoglobin Determination

cant public health concern afflicting2 billion people worldwide. The detrimental effects of tissue oxygen de-ficiency on the cardiovascular system and concurrent appearance of anemia with numerous high-risk disor-ders highlight the importance of clinical screening. Currently there is no universally accepted, clinically ap-plicable, noninvasive hemoglobin/hematocrit screening tool. The need for such a device has prompted an investi-gation into a breadth of techniques. METHODS: A synopsis of the literature and current direc-tions of research in noninvasive total hemoglobin mea-surementwas collected. Contributions highlighted in this review are limited to those studies conducted with a clin-ical aspect, andmost include in vivo patient studies. RESULTS: The review of potential techniques presente