The present development is a method and device to monitor the salt level in a patient's blood without the need of laboratory facilities or intervention by medical personnel. The basic device is designed to measure the concentration of analytes, specifically sodium ion and potassium ion, in the patient's blood and to communicate the analyte level to the patient essentially instantaneously through a mobile monitor or display screen. In a variation, the device combines the analyte-concentration measuring function with a means for measuring the concentration of glucose in blood, and the blood analyte level and glucose level are displayed to the patient essentially instantaneously. Both the salt level device and the salt level+glucose level device may be further adapted to allow for the salt and glucose level data to be stored in a data storage base so the patient has an historical record of the concentration levels.

Blood sample optimization systems and methods are described that reduce or eliminate contaminates in collected blood samples, which in turn reduces or eliminates false positive readings in blood cultures or other testing of collected blood samples. A blood sample optimization system can include a blood sequestration device located between a patient needle and a sample needle. The blood sequestration device can include a sequestration chamber for sequestering an initial, potentially contaminated aliquot of blood, and may further include a sampling channel that bypasses the sequestration chamber to convey likely uncontaminated blood between the patient needle and the sample needle after the initial aliquot of blood is sequestered in the sequestration chamber.

A system, mixing-enhanced microfluidic container, and methods for small volume sample collection and/or analysis is disclosed. Namely, the invention is directed to a small volume sample collection system that includes a mixing-enhanced microfluidic container and a durable reusable actuation chuck. The mixing-enhanced microfluidic container is used to collect small volumes of sample fluid and includes a means for mixing the sample fluid with reagents disposed within the microfluidic container. The mixing means utilize an array of surface-attached structures (e.g., a micropost array). The application of an “actuation force,” such as a magnetic or electric field, actuates the surface-attached structures into movement, wherein the actuation chuck in close proximity to the mixing-enhanced microfluidic container provides the “actuation force.”

An exemplary blood sampling device can be provided that can collect a small amount of blood and prevent blood leakage. The exemplary blood sampling device can comprise a pipette tip-shaped blood sampler having an internal space for aspirating and holding blood by the capillary action and having openings at the top and bottom, a cylindrical container capable of accommodating the blood sampler and a cap piston-shaped sealing cap for sealing the container, wherein a receiving part is provided at the bottom of the container and a locking part and a screw part are provided on the upper outer side of the container, and a mandrel extending from the inner upper surface of the sealing cap is provided and a projection and a screw part are provided on the inner side surface of the sealing cap.

The present technology is directed to extraction devices, systems, and methods for controllably withdrawing and transferring fluid samples, such as blood, from a sample collection container to a testing device. For example, some embodiments of the present technology provide fluid extraction devices that include a fluid control module, a housing containing a receiving element and a suction element, and an actuator. To transfer blood from a sample collection container to a testing device, a user places the sample collection container over the receiving element and inserts the testing device into an outlet of the fluid control module. The user then pushes a lever or otherwise actuates the actuator, which automatically withdraws a predetermined volume of blood from the sample collection container and transfers it to the testing device positioned at the outlet of the fluid control module.

Devices and methods are provided that permit efficient and selective separation of liquid biological specimens into at least two constituent components to facilitate subsequent quantitative and qualitative analysis on at least one analyte of interest in at least one of the components. The devices generally include one or more sample deposition regions supported on a base. Each sample deposition region includes a separation membrane for separating the liquid biological specimen into two different fractions. The first fraction is trapped by the separation membrane while the second fraction passes through the separation membrane and into a respective collection membrane. The separation and collection membranes are easily separable from the devices and can be utilized for further processing and analysis.

A dermal patch for collecting a physiological sample includes a housing with a collection chamber, a sample channel and a pin within a receptacle of the housing. The sample channel is configured to direct a physiological sample drawn from a subject to the collection chamber. The pin is removably positioned within the receptacle and is configured to move from an undeployed position to a deployed position. The pin is configured to seal the receptacle when in the undeployed position and is further configured to facilitate generation of negative pressure in the sample channel when the pin is moved from the undeployed to the deployed position.

Provided is a packaging container including a bag main body portion having a first surface, a second surface and an opening portion; and a tongue piece portion formed to be continuously extended from the first surface. The bag main body portion and the tongue piece portion have an aluminum vapor-deposited layer on an outside thereof, the packaging container further includes an adhesion portion which is provided on the second surface to be spaced from the opening portion; and a folded-back portion which is provided between the adhesion portion and the opening portion to fold back the tongue piece portion to the opening portion side. A length of the tongue piece portion is a, a length from the opening portion to the folded-back portion is b, and a length from the folded-back portion to the adhesion portion is c. And,
a<b+c.

A biological fluid collection system that receives a sample and provides flow-through blood stabilization technology and a precise sample dispensing function for point-of-care and near patient testing applications is disclosed. A biological fluid collection system of the present disclosure is able to effectuate distributed mixing of a sample stabilizer within a blood sample and dispense the stabilized sample in a controlled manner. In this manner, a biological fluid collection system of the present disclosure enables blood micro-sample management, e.g., passive mixing with a sample stabilizer and controlled dispensing, for point-of-care and near patient testing applications.

A fluid sampling device and a method is provided for collecting body fluid samples such as blood without the intervention of medically trained personnel. The body fluid sampling device having a sample containment chamber made of a material having a thermal inertia permitting the maintenance of sample temperature over a known period of time. Optionally an isolating cover or sleeve may slide in place by a mechanism triggered by thermal contraction of an element after the device has reached a sufficiently low temperature in a patients refrigerator. Associated methods are provided to ensure hermetic transport of the collected body fluid sample to an analysis lab. Also disclosed is a device and app combination for drug or vaccine injection, the app including means to allow for verification of the patient's ID and/or the particular device used. The device my be equipped with geo-localization and long-range communication capabilities.