Raman spectroscopy-based creatinine measurement in urine samples from a multipatient population

Spectroscopic methods of urinalysis offer several advantages over chemical methods, including less sample contact and higher information content. In particular, urine creatinine has been the subject of several spectroscopic studies. We report the first use of Raman spectroscopy to measure creatinine concentrations in unaltered urine samples from a multipatient population. Using near-infrared excitation and a hybrid linear analysis calibration method, a root mean squared error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 4.9 mg/dL was obtained. The error in the reference chemical method was 1.1 mg/dL. This result shows that the Raman spectroscopy can measure creatinine at clinical levels even in the presence of patient-to-patient variations. Because most assays in urine require creatinine concentration in order to correct for fluctuations in water content, measurement of creatinine is the first step towards more extensive Raman-based urinalysis.