Quantification of multiple elements in dried blood spot samples
Pedersen et al.
The finding, in our words
Trace elements can be measured accurately from dried blood spots, but haematocrit significantly influences results for potassium, iron and zinc, and filter paper contributes background signal that interferes with low-concentration analytes. Simultaneous measurement of potassium and iron may allow haematocrit estimation, which is important for decentralised population studies.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
Capillary dried blood spots, after haematocrit-dependent conversion, showed good agreement with plasma for 25-hydroxyvitamin D quantification, with 90 per cent of results within 20 per cent of plasma and substantial to almost perfect agreement in status classification, supporting reliable home self-collection for large-scale vitamin D monitoring.
Heughebaert et al., Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine (paywalled) · source ↗
Capillary finger-stick dried blood spots demonstrated strong analytical agreement with venous serum for prostate-specific antigen (R² = 0.987) and remained stable for 31 days across a wide temperature range. This less invasive microsampling approach enables at-home self-collection, supporting decentralised screening and tele-diagnostics for prostate cancer.
van Vugt et al., The journal of applied laboratory medicine (paywalled) · source ↗
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.
The authors developed and fully validated a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method to measure biotin deficiency biomarkers from dried blood spot samples. They demonstrated correlation with plasma measurements and applied the method to establish population reference ranges in South India, supporting decentralised screening and monitoring of biotin deficiency.
A UHPLC-MS/MS method for measuring Fabry disease biomarkers in dried blood spots was validated using both conventional cards and Capitainer B devices. Capillary blood gave similar results to venous blood across a wide haematocrit range, supporting decentralised screening and longitudinal monitoring of patients.
Boutin et al., International journal of molecular sciences · source ↗