Device for sampling blood droplets under vacuum conditions

• US 7,374,545 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SHL Telemedicine International Ltd. (SHL Telemedicine Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SHL Telemedicine International Ltd. (SHL Telemedicine Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alroy, Yoram
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg; Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUONG Q
• Application Number:
  US10/496,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 600/584, 600/573, 604/335, 604/317
• US Class Current: 600/583
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150229 Pumps for assisting the blood sampling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150412 Pointed piercing elements, e.g. needles, lancets for piercing the skin blade-like piercing elements A61B5/150442
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150786 Optical identification systems, e.g. bar codes, colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150824 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150946 Means for varying, regulating, indicating or limiting the speed or time of blood collection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15111 Semi-automatically triggered, e.g. at the end of the cocking procedure, for instance by biasing the main drive spring or when reaching sufficient contact pressure, the piercing device is automatically triggered without any deliberate action by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15123 comprising magnets or solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15136 by use of radiation, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1514 by use of gaseous agents, e.g. using suction aspiration or pressurized gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15194 fully automatically retracted, i.e. the retraction does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by terminating the contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/157 Devices characterised by integrated means for measuring characteristics of blood

Abstract

A blood extraction device (100) and method for withdrawing a controlled number of drops of blood from a patient, in whom there is created an incision of such dimension that blood does not freely flow therefrom. A release unit (160) urges drops of blood to flow from the incision, for example by applying a vacuum, and a disabling unit (145, 146, 170) is coupled to the incision unit for disabling the release unit when a predetermined number of drops of blood have been withdrawn.

Claims

1. A blood extraction device for withdrawing a quantity of blood from a patient, said blood extraction device comprising:

an incision unit for creating an incision in the patient;

a release unit for urging blood drops to flow from said incision, and

a disabling unit coupled to the release unit for disabling the release unit;

a collecting receptacle disposed in spaced relationship with the release unit for collecting a predetermined plurality of discrete drops of blood that freely fall thereon from the incision without contacting any element of the device; and

a drop counting unit disposed for counting blood drops flowing directly from the incision onto the receptacle and signaling only when the predetermined plurality of discrete drops of blood have been applied to said receptacle, wherein

the disabling unit is adapted to disable the release unit automatically when the predetermined plurality of discrete drops of blood have been withdrawn.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the collecting receptacle comprises a single use chemical test strip on which the blood drops are gathered.

3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an imaging device for optically imaging the chemical test result obtained by the chemical test strip; and

an electronic circuit coupled to the imaging device for transmitting data representative of an optical image of the result to a remote unit.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein:

the chemical test strip is visibly identified by a unique identity code,

the disabling unit is responsively coupled to an electronic circuit for control thereby, and

the electronic circuit is adapted to determine an identity of the chemical test strip and control the disabling unit accordingly.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the incision unit comprises a lancet.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the release unit comprises a vacuum unit.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the disabling unit comprises an electro-optical sensor for optically sensing the number of blood drops extracted.

8. A method for withdrawing a quantity of blood from a patient, said method comprising:

creating an incision in the patient;

urging blood drops to flow downwardly directly from said incision on to a collection receptacle disposed in spaced relationship with a release unit for collecting a predetermined plurality of discrete drops of blood that freely fall thereon from the incision without contacting any element of the device;

counting the plurality of discrete drops of blood that flow downwardly directly from the incision to the receptacle; and

inhibiting blood flow automatically when said predetermined plurality of discrete drops of blood have been withdrawn from the patient.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the receptacle is a single use test strip on which the drops of blood that flow from the incision are gathered.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

optically imaging a test result obtained by the test strip; and

transmitting data representative of an image of the result to a remote unit.