Microchip capillary electrophoresis for point-of-care analysis of lithium

Background: Microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a promising method for chemical analysis of complex samples such as whole blood. We evaluated the method for point-of-care testing of lithium. Methods: Chemical separation was performed on standard glass microchip CE devices with a conductivity detector as described in previous work. Here we demonstrate a new sample-to-chip interface. Initially, we took a glass capillary as a sample collector for whole blood from a finger stick. In addition, we designed a novel disposable sample collector and tested it against the clinical standard at the hospital (Medisch Spectrum Twente). Both types of collectors require