JP2025128682A - Fingertip blood sampling kit - Google Patents

Abstract

A blood collection kit is provided that includes a blood collection device and a base that supports the blood collection device. The blood collection device (120) has a blood collection port (123). The support base (110) is configured to support the blood collection device so that the blood collection port faces upward. In some embodiments, the base may be configured so that the blood collection port faces upward at an angle greater than 25° from the horizontal. [Selected Figure] Figure 4

Description

This disclosure relates to a fingertip blood collection kit.

A blood collection tube is typically used for fingertip blood collection. The fingertip is punctured to induce bleeding, and the blood is then drawn into the blood collection tube. A typical fingertip blood collection kit is designed so that the user does not hold the blood collection tube in their hand, but places it on a support stand. This allows the user to stably bring the blood into contact with the blood collection tube.

A conventional fingertip blood collection method will be described with reference to Figure 1. A blood collection tube 20 is placed on a support stand 10. Many support stands 10 are designed so that the blood collection tube 20 is angled slightly upward from horizontal. As far as the inventors know, there are no blood collection kits in which the blood collection tube 20 is angled upward by more than 25 degrees. A user punctures their fingertip 50 to allow bleeding. To prevent the formed blood droplet 51 from spilling from the fingertip, the user holds the fingertip 50 close to the blood collection tube 20 with the surface of the finger facing upward, and brings the blood droplet 51 into contact with the blood collection port. This causes the blood in the droplet 51 to be absorbed into the blood collection tube 20 by capillary action.

This conventional method has several problems. For example, the side of the blood collection tube 20 is nearly parallel to the surface of the finger 50. This causes at least a portion of the blood to flow along the outside of the blood collection tube 20 and not be absorbed into the inside of the blood collection tube 20. It is inefficient and undesirable to be unable to recover even a portion of the blood obtained through an invasive, painful puncture. Another problem is that the blood collection tube 20 is a capillary tube. Without capillary action, blood cannot be absorbed. To maintain capillary function during use, the inside of the blood collection tube must be treated to be hydrophilic, and must remain hydrophilic throughout the storage period before use. Therefore, strict requirements are placed on cleaning and packaging.

The technology disclosed herein is proposed to solve these problems.

The present disclosure provides a blood collection kit including a blood collection device and a base that supports the blood collection device. The blood collection device has a blood collection port. The support base is configured to support the blood collection device so that the blood collection port faces upward. In some embodiments, the base may be configured so that the blood collection port faces upward at an angle greater than 25° from the horizontal.

With this configuration, the user can point the blood droplet formed on the surface of their fingertip by puncturing downward and contact it with the blood collection port of a blood collection tube supported on a support stand, allowing the blood to be drawn into the blood collection tube through the blood collection port. Furthermore, it has been found that blood from the punctured fingertip can be smoothly introduced into the blood collection tube. It also allows for the efficient collection of minute amounts of fingertip blood, with minimal loss.

The above effects are not necessarily limiting, and any of the effects described in this specification, or other effects that can be understood from this specification, may be achieved in addition to or instead of the above effects.

Further aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, the present disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects without departing from the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

1 shows a conventional blood collection kit. 1 shows a perspective view of a blood collection kit in use, according to an embodiment. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a blood collection device and a support base of a blood collection kit according to an embodiment. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a support base and a blood collection device placed on the support base. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views illustrating the manner of use of a blood collection kit according to an embodiment. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a blood collection device and a support base of a blood collection kit according to an embodiment.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with one or more of these specific details. In other instances, features and procedures well known to those skilled in the art are not described in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

<Blood collection amount>
The amount of blood collected does not have to be large. In some embodiments, the amount of blood collected may be 20 μL or less. For example, the blood collection tube may be configured to collect blood in an amount of 20 μL or less. The volume of the blood collection tube may be 20 μL, 15 μL, 10 μL, 5 μL, or less. In some embodiments, the blood collection tube may be configured to collect a constant amount of blood. For example, the inner diameter and length of the capillary may be set, and blood may be collected so that the capillary is filled. This allows a constant amount of blood to be collected. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the amount of blood collected from the blood collection tube may not be constant.

When there is a large amount of blood to be collected from the fingertip, it is difficult to point the fingertip downwards. When puncturing, the bleeding side faces upwards. When the finger is rotated, the blood moves along the surface of the fingertip. This reduces the amount of blood collected and stains the fingertip with blood. In contrast, if the amount to be collected is small, the finger can be rotated so that it faces downwards while maintaining the shape of a droplet.

<Blood collection device>
The blood collector has a blood collection port for contacting and collecting fingertip blood inside. A blood collection tube is provided inside the blood collector and is fluidly connected to the blood collection port. Blood entering through the blood collection port is retained inside the blood collection tube. The blood collection tube may be a capillary tube in part or in whole.

In some embodiments, the blood collector may have a tubular or longitudinally (axially or axially) elongated shape. The blood collection port may be located at one end of the tubular axis. The capillary tube may be located within the blood collector and extend in the axial direction.

In some embodiments, the blood collection device may have a vent port fluidly connected to the blood collection port and the collection tube. When blood is introduced into the collection tube, air can be expelled through the vent port. The vent port may be located at the end of the tube axially opposite the blood collection port.

<Support stand>
The support base or stand is placed on a horizontal surface (such as the top surface of a desk or table) during use and is used to hold the blood collection device in that state.

In some embodiments, the support base and blood collector may be configured so that when the blood collector is placed on the support base, the longitudinal direction of the blood collector or the blood collection port faces upward at an angle of 25° or more from the horizontal. The angle may be 25°, 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°, 60°, 65°, 70°, 75°, 80°, or any greater. In some embodiments, the angle may be greater than 45°, with the blood collection port facing further upward. The angle may be 90°. The blood collector may be configured to stand on its bottom surface, and the support base may be configured to support the blood collector from the side to prevent it from tipping over.

In some embodiments, the support base and blood collection device may be configured so that a user can point a drop of blood formed on the surface of their fingertip by puncturing downward and touch it to the blood collection port of a blood collection tube supported by the support base, causing the blood to be drawn into the blood collection tube through the blood collection port.

In some embodiments, the support base may contact the blood collector at at least two points (support points) to fix the angle of the blood collector. For example, the support base may support the blood collector at both one end of the bottom of the blood collector in the axial direction and at the side of the blood collector. In some embodiments, the support base may contact or support the blood collector at a line or a surface. In some embodiments, the support base has a penetration, the blood collector is placed in the penetration, and the bottom of the blood collector is supported by the horizontal surface on which the support base is placed. For example, the penetration may function to prevent the upright blood collector from tipping over. In some embodiments, the support base may have a protrusion, and the protrusion may be inserted into a hole (a hole provided for this purpose, a vent, etc.) provided in the blood collector, thereby maintaining the orientation of the blood collector. In some embodiments, the penetration may be provided vertically. In some embodiments, the penetration may be provided at an angle from the vertical direction.

In some embodiments, a portion or all of the surfaces of the blood collection device that come into contact with blood may be hydrophilic. For example, a portion or all of the surfaces of a blood collection tube may be hydrophilic. For example, the end or edge of the blood collection port comes into contact with blood. This portion may be hydrophilic. This may, for example, enhance the effect of capillary action and make blood collection more efficient. For example, the outer surface or side of the blood collection device is not configured to come into contact with blood. This portion may be hydrophobic. This may, for example, prevent or reduce blood from flowing down the outer wall and becoming uncollectible. In some embodiments, the surface of the blood collection tube and the edge of the blood collection port may be hydrophilic, and the outside of the blood collection device may be hydrophobic. In some embodiments, the portion that comes into contact with blood may be more hydrophilic than the portion that does not come into contact with blood. Alternatively, conversely, the portion that does not come into contact with blood may be more hydrophobic than the portion that comes into contact with blood. Hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity may be defined relatively.

Several embodiments are described below with reference to the figures.

<Embodiment 1>
Figure 2 shows a blood collection kit 100 according to one embodiment. Kit 100 includes a blood collection device 120 and a support base 110. Support base 110 is designed to be placed on a horizontal surface during use, allowing a user to place blood collection device 120 thereon.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of each taken along the center. As shown in Figure 3A, the blood collector 120 is tubular and extends in the axial direction. In the figure, its center line 121 is indicated by a dashed line. The blood collector 120 has a blood collection tube 122 in a part of it or inside it, and has a blood collection port 123 at one end of the axial direction that is connected to the blood collection tube 122 and opens to the outside. In some embodiments, the blood collection tube 122 may have a capillary tube in part or in its entirety. Liquid that comes into contact with the blood collection port 123 is introduced into the blood collection tube 122 from the blood collection port 123 and is retained inside the blood collection tube 122.

The blood collector 120 has an air vent 125 connected to the blood collection tube 122 at a position different from the blood collection port 123. The blood collector 120 has an air vent 124 connected to the blood collection tube 122 inside, and an air vent 125 connected to the air vent 124 and opening to the outside at the other end. This allows air inside the blood collection tube 122 to be expelled to the outside through the air vent 125 when blood is introduced into the blood collection tube 122 from the blood collection port 123.

The ventilation section 124 and the ventilation port 125 may have a function other than ventilation. For example, blood collected inside the blood collection tube 122 may be extracted from the blood collection port 123 by applying pressure through the ventilation port 125.

The base 110 shown in Figure 3B is used by placing it on a horizontal surface (e.g., the top surface of a desk, table, etc.). The base 110 is placed so that its bottom surface 113 is in contact with the horizontal surface. In this state, the base 110 is configured to receive and support the blood collector 120 with the blood collection port 123 facing upward. The base 110 supports the blood collector 120 with two supports 111, 112. The first support 111 supports the end of the blood collector 120 opposite the blood collection port 123 in the axial direction (the end with the vent 125). The second support 112 supports the side of the blood collector 120 from below. The positions of these two supports 111, 112 determine the angle of the axial direction 121 of the blood collector 120 placed on it.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the stand 110 and the blood collector 120 placed on it. The stand 110 is placed on the top surface (horizontal surface) 210 of the desk 200 with its bottom surface 113 facing downward. The blood collector 120 is supported by the first support portion 111 and the second support portion 112 of the stand 110 and is placed on the stand 110 with its blood collection port 123 facing upward. In this case, the tube axis direction 121 of the blood collector 120 is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal surface 210. In Figure 4, the angle θ of the blood collector 120 is depicted as 55° for illustrative purposes, but the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to this angle.

In this state, the user pricks the finger 150 to form a droplet 151 of blood. The user places the droplet 151 close to the blood collection port 123 of the blood collector 120, with the downward facing finger 150 (Figure 5A). When the blood droplet 151 comes into contact with the blood collection port 123, capillary action causes it to be collected from the blood collection port 123 into the blood collection tube 122. While capillary action is thought to be responsible for the collection of blood in this instance, capillary action does not necessarily occur in all areas of the blood collection port 123 and the blood collection tube 122. For example, capillary action may be responsible near the blood collection port 123, while gravity may cause the blood 152 inside the blood collection tube 122 away from the blood collection port 123 to move downward. Alternatively, capillary action need not be essential. Some force may be applied, causing the blood 151 to enter the blood collection port 123 and into the blood collection tube 122, where it is collected.

<Embodiment 2>
Figure 6 shows a blood collection kit 200 according to an embodiment. The kit 200 includes a blood collector 220 and a base 210 that supports the blood collector 220. The support base 210 has a vertical penetration 211 approximately in the center. The blood collector 221 is inserted into the penetration 211 and can stand upright. The penetration 211 surrounds the blood collector 220 from the sides, preventing the blood collector 220 from tipping over.

The present disclosure includes the following embodiments:
A001
A fingerstick blood collection kit,
a blood collection tube configured to collect blood;
a support base that supports the blood collection tube with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube facing upward;
A fingertip blood collection kit comprising:
A005
A001, or any other embodiment of the fingertip blood collection kit,
The subject can direct the blood droplet formed on the surface of the fingertip by puncturing downward and bring it into contact with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube supported by the support base, so that the blood can be sucked into the blood collection tube from the blood collection port.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.
A011
A001, or any other embodiment of the fingertip blood collection kit,
The amount of blood collected is 20 μL or less.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.
A012
A001, or any other embodiment of the fingertip blood collection kit,
The amount of blood collected is 15 μL or less.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.
A021
A001, or any other embodiment of the fingertip blood collection kit,
The support base is configured to support the blood collection tube with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube facing upward and the longitudinal direction of the blood collection tube at an angle of more than 25° from a horizontal plane.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.
A031
A001, or any other embodiment of the fingertip blood collection kit,
The edge of the blood collection port and the surface of the blood collection tube are hydrophilic, and/or
The outer surface of the blood collection tube is hydrophobic.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.
A101
A fingerstick blood collection kit,
a blood collection tube configured to collect a volume of blood of 20 μL or less;
a support base that supports the blood collection tube with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube facing upward and with the longitudinal direction of the blood collection tube at an angle of more than 25° from a horizontal plane;
Equipped with
The subject can direct the blood droplet formed on the surface of the fingertip by puncturing downward and bring it into contact with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube supported by the support base, so that the blood can be sucked into the blood collection tube from the blood collection port.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.

Several embodiments and examples of the present disclosure have been described above, but these embodiments and examples exemplify the present disclosure. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and additional changes in dimensions, configurations, materials, and circuits may be made as necessary. Note that embodiments that combine any one or more features of the present disclosure described above are also within the scope of the present disclosure. The claims encompass numerous modifications to the embodiments without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments and examples disclosed herein are provided for illustrative purposes and should not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (4)

A fingerstick blood collection kit,
a blood collection tube configured to collect a volume of blood of 20 μL or less;
a support base that supports the blood collection tube with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube facing upward and with the longitudinal direction of the blood collection tube at an angle of more than 25° from a horizontal plane;
Equipped with
Fingerstick blood collection kit. The fingertip blood collection kit according to claim 1,
The subject can direct the blood droplet formed on the surface of the fingertip by puncturing downward and bring it into contact with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube supported by the support base, so that the blood can be sucked into the blood collection tube from the blood collection port.
Fingerstick blood collection kit. The fingertip blood collection kit according to claim 1,
the support base supports the blood collection tube with the blood collection port of the blood collection tube facing upward and the longitudinal direction of the blood collection tube at an angle of 25° or more from a horizontal plane;
Fingerstick blood collection kit. The fingertip blood collection kit according to claim 1,
The edge of the blood collection port and the surface of the blood collection tube are hydrophilic, and/or
The outer surface of the blood collection tube is hydrophobic.
Fingerstick blood collection kit.