Abstract: A cartridge for monitoring the function of a device for blood platelet diagnosis has a housing which includes a test chamber and a holding chamber. A fluid volume of a test fluid is present inside the holding chamber. An air cushion is arranged above the fluid volume. A measurement cell, which has a capillary tube, is fitted in the upper part of the test chamber.

Abstract: A cartridge for monitoring the function of a device for blood platelet diagnosis has a housing 1 which includes a test chamber 3 and a holding chamber 5. A fluid volume 7 of a test fluid 4 is present inside the holding chamber 5. An air cushion 6 is arranged above the fluid volume 7. A measurement cell 8, which has a capillary tube 9, is fitted in the upper part of the test chamber 3.

Abstract: A process for determining complement activation due to contact between a biomaterial and a complement system, by incubating in vitro the biomaterial with the complement system and determining the formation of a complement convertase by using a substrate of the complement convertase and detecting substrate cleavage. The biomaterial after said incubation with the complement system may be separated therefrom and formation of a complement convertase may be determined with the separated biomaterial, the separated complement system, or both. The complement convertase may be Factor B convertase, C3 convertase or C5 convertase, and the substrate may be a labeled oligopeptide comprising an amino acid sequence corresponding to the cleavage site of the complement convertase. Suitable labels are dyes, fluorochromes, radioactive atoms or groups, and enzymes. Either classical or alternative pathway complement activation, or both, are determined.