Automatic blood draw system and method

• US 8,888,714 B1
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Soto
• Original Assignee: Richard Soto
• Inventors: Soto, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Sean
• Assistant Examiner(s): CERIONI, DANIEL LEE
• Application Number:
  US14/158,270
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 600/573, 600/576
• US Class Current: 600/576
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15003 for venous or arterial blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150748 Having means for aiding positioning of the piercing device at a location where the body is to be pierced means for aiding positioning of devices for bringing media into the body A61M5/427, locating blood vessels A61B5/489
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150786 Optical identification systems, e.g. bar codes, colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1535 comprising means for indicating vein or arterial entry A61B5/1545 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/489 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/085 for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules

Abstract

Enables cleaning a user'"'"'s target area around a vein, starting an intravenous catheter placement into a user'"'"'s vein, drawing blood from a vein, transferring the blood into one or more test tubes and labeling the test tubes. Includes a housing configured to enable a user to fit their arm into the apparatus, a blood pressure cuff, a scanner, a computer system, one or more needles, test tubes and labels. The scanner may scan the user'"'"'s arm for target veins. Uses an antiseptic solution or antiseptic pads to wipe down a target area, such that a selected needle of appropriate size is lowered and inserted into the targeted vein to draw blood. Embodiments may lower and fill the test tube with the user'"'"'s drawn blood, label the test tubes with the user'"'"'s information and dispose the needle into a biohazard removable container.

Claims

1. An automatic blood drawing system comprising:

a housing comprising

a computer system coupled with a blood pressure cuff, scanner, memory, one needle or a plurality of needles of varying sizes, at least one actuator for the one needle or the plurality of needles of varying sizes, one or more test tubes, and one or more labels, wherein said computer system is configured to

accept a user'"'"'s information into said memory; and

,

wrap the blood pressure cuff around a user'"'"'s arm and place pressure on the user'"'"'s arm after the user'"'"'s information has been accepted into said memory;

scan said user'"'"'s arm to locate and select one or more veins of the user using the scanner after wrapping the blood pressure cuff around a user'"'"'s arm and placing pressure on the user'"'"'s arm;

obtain an entry angle A to insert the needle, the entry angle being based on the vein selected during the scan of the user'"'"'s arm;

determine a distance D to move a tip of the needle to obtain a vertical depth of the needle in the selected vein and above a lower wall of the selected vein as D=vertical depth/sin(A), after said obtain said entry angle A;

inserting the tip of the needle from the one needle or from the plurality of needles of varying sizes at an angle equal to the entry angle A into said selected vein of said one or more veins of the user at by moving the tip of the needle by distance D to locate the needle in the vein selected during the scan of the user'"'"'s arm and above the lower wall of the vein selected during the scan of the user'"'"'s arm after determining the distance D, wherein the inserting of the tip of the needle draws blood from said user into said one or more test tubes respectively; and

,

place one or more labels on said one or more test tubes respectively with said user'"'"'s information after the tip of the needle has been inserted and after said one or more test tubes are filled with said user'"'"'s blood.

2. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 1, wherein said computer system is further configured to enter said user'"'"'s information into said automatic blood drawing system prior to said one needle or said plurality of needles drawing blood from said user.

3. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 1, wherein said scanner is further configured to scan said user'"'"'s arm for a largest vein and wherein said computer system is further configured to identify the largest vein.

4. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 3, further comprising one or more intravenous catheters, within the housing, configured to infuse one or more of blood and medications to said user, using said computer system.

5. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 4, wherein said computer system is further configured to one or more of

select a needle from said one needle or said plurality of needles of varying size of an appropriate size configured to accommodate said user'"'"'s largest vein, and

select an intravenous catheter from said one or more intravenous catheters configured to be inserted into said user'"'"'s largest vein.

6. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 5, further comprising a bracket, within the housing, wherein said computer system is further configured to lower said bracket onto a target area on said user'"'"'s arm to place pressure on said user'"'"'s arm and hold said user'"'"'s largest vein in place within said target area.

7. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 6, further comprising an antiseptic solution and/or one or more antiseptic pads, within the housing, wherein said computer system is further configured to secrete said antiseptic solution onto said target area to clean said target area on said user'"'"'s arm.

8. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 7, wherein said computer system is further configured to

insert one or more of said selected needle of appropriate size and said selected intravenous catheter into said user'"'"'s largest vein;

and

one or more of enable said selected needle to draw blood from said user'"'"'s largest vein and transfer said drawn blood into a respective test tube of said one or more test tubes, and enable said selected intravenous catheter to infuse one or more of blood and medications to said user.

9. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 8, wherein said computer system is further configured to label said respective test tube with said one or more labels with said user'"'"'s information.

10. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 9, further comprising a gauze, within said housing, wherein said computer system is further configured to remove one or more of said selected needle and said selected intravenous catheter from said user'"'"'s largest vein, lower said gauze onto said target area, and place pressure on said target area.

11. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 10, further comprising paper tape, within said housing, wherein said computer system is further configured to place said paper tape onto said gauze.

12. The automatic blood drawing system of claim 11, further comprising a biohazard container, within said housing, wherein said computer system is further configured to dispose one or more of said selected needle and said selected intravenous catheter into said biohazard container.

13. An automatic blood drawing method comprising:

coupling a computer system with a blood pressure cuff, scanner, memory, one needle or a plurality of needles of varying sizes, at least one actuator for the one needle or the plurality of needles of varying sizes, one or more test tubes, and one or more labels;

accepting a user'"'"'s information into said memory of said computer system;

wrapping the blood pressure cuff around said user'"'"'s arm and placing pressure on the user'"'"'s arm after accepting said user'"'"'s information into memory;

scanning said user'"'"'s arm to locate and select one or more veins of the user using the scanner after wrapping the blood pressure cuff around a users arm and placing pressure on the user'"'"'s arms;

obtaining an entry angle A to insert the needle, the entry angle being based on the vein selected during the scan of the user'"'"'s arm;

determining a distance D to move a tip of the needle to obtain a vertical depth of the needle in the selected vein and above a lower wall of the selected vein as D=vertical depth/sin(A), after obtaining said entry angle A;

inserting the tip of the needle from the one needle or from the plurality of needles of varying sizes at an angle equal to the entry angle A into said selected vein of said one or more veins of the user at by moving the tip of the needle by distance D to locate the needle in the vein selected during the scan of the user'"'"'s arm and above the lower wall of the vein selected during the scan of the user'"'"'s arm after determining the distance D, wherein the inserting of the tip of the needle draws blood from said user into said one or more test tubes respectively; and

,

placing one or more labels on said one or more test tubes respectively with said user'"'"'s information after the tip of the needle has been inserted and after said one or more test tubes are filled with said user'"'"'s blood.

14. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 13, further comprising scanning said user'"'"'s arm for a largest vein using said scanner, and identifying the largest vein using said computer system.

15. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of

selecting a needle from said one needle or said plurality of needles of varying size with an appropriate size configured to accommodate said user'"'"'s largest vein using said computer system, and

selecting an intravenous catheter from one or more intravenous catheters and pushing said selected intravenous catheter into said user'"'"'s largest vein.

16. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 15, further comprising lowering a bracket from within said housing onto a target area on said user'"'"'s arm, using said computer system, to place pressure on said user'"'"'s arm and hold said user'"'"'s largest vein in place within said target area.

17. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 16, further comprising secreting one or more of an antiseptic solution and one or more antiseptic pads from within said housing onto said target area to clean said target area on said user'"'"'s arm, using said computer system;

inserting one or more of said selected needle of appropriate size and said selected intravenous catheter into said user'"'"'s largest vein, using said computer system; and

one or more of enabling said selected needle to draw blood from said user'"'"'s largest vein and transferring said drawn blood into a respective test tube of said one or more test tubes using said computer system, and enabling said selected intravenous catheter to infuse one or more of blood and medications to said user, using said computer system.

18. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 17, further comprising labeling said respective test tube with said one or more labels, from within said housing, with said user'"'"'s information using said computer system.

19. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 18, further comprising

removing one or more of said selected needle and said selected intravenous catheter from said user'"'"'s largest vein, using said computer system,

lowering a gauze from within said housing to said target area, using said computer system,

placing pressure on said target area, using said computer system, and

placing a paper tape onto said gauze, using said computer system.

20. The automatic blood drawing method of claim 19, further comprising disposing one or more of said selected needle and said selected intravenous catheter into a biohazard container, using said computer system, wherein said biohazard container is within said housing.