Blood glucose measurement by multiple attenuated total reflection and infrared absorption spectroscopy

The difficulty of measuring physiological concentrations of glucose in blood by conventional infrared absorption spectroscopy is due to the intrinsic high background absorption of water. This limitation can be largely overcome by the use of a CO ₂ laser as an infrared source in combination with a multiple attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique. To demonstrate the applicability of this technique, in vitro measurements of glucose in blood obtained from an experimental infrared laser spectrometer were compared with independent measurements made by a standard YSI 23A laboratory glucose analyzer. The capability of continuous measurement of blood glucose concentration is of primary importance in the future development of a glucose sensor for diabetic patients.