An apparatus includes an introducer defining an inner volume, a catheter, and a guide member. The having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, with the catheter defining a lumen extending through the proximal end portion and the distal end portion of the catheter, and with the catheter configured to move between a first position, in which the catheter is disposed within the introducer, and a second position, in which at least the distal end portion of the catheter is distal to the introducer. The guide member is coupled to the introducer, with the guide member defining a lumen. A portion of the catheter is received within the lumen of the guide member when the catheter is in the first position, and the distal end portion of the catheter is distal to the guide member when the catheter is in the second position.

A test cartridge includes an adjustable lancet. The adjustable lancet is controlled by a controller. The adjustable lancet automatically detects a subject's finger, adjusts the lancet's height, pricks the finger to draw blood, moves a tube to collect the blood, moves the tube away from the finger, and empties the blood from the tube into a vial or receptacle. The adjustable lancet may include safety features to prevent the lancet to trigger when the subject's fingernail is facing the lancet, to control the amount that the lancet pierces the subject's finger, and/or to prevent the reuse of a test cartridge for multiple persons or multiple times by the same person. The adjustable lancet may include a massager wheel and/or a pressure bar to rub the subject's finger after the finger is pierced to facilitate drawing of the blood from the finger.

A blood collection device to reduce hemolysis in a peripheral intravenous catheter system may include a distal end. The distal end of the blood collection device may include a male luer adapter, which may include a distal opening. The blood collection device may include a cannula in fluid communication with the male luer adapter. The cannula may include a distal end and a sharp proximal tip. The blood collection device may include an elongated neck disposed between the male luer adapter and the sharp proximal tip. The blood collection device may include a fluid pathway extending from the distal opening through the sharp proximal tip. A diameter of the fluid pathway may be constant. An entire length of the fluid pathway is represented by L, and the diameter of the fluid pathway is represented by D. D.sup.4/L may be equal to or less than a predetermined value.

A lancet driver is provided wherein the driver exerts a driving force on a lancet during a lancing cycle and is used on a tissue site. The driver comprises of a drive force generator for advancing the lancet along a path into the tissue site, and a manual switch for a user interface input.

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for delivering and/or receiving a substance or substances such as blood from subjects. In one aspect, the present invention is directed to devices and methods for receiving or extracting blood from a subject, e.g., from the skin and/or from beneath the skin, using devices containing a substance transfer component (for example, one or more needles or microneedles) and a reduced pressure or vacuum chamber having an internal pressure less than atmospheric pressure prior to receiving blood. In some embodiments, the device may contain a “snap dome” or other deformable structure, which may be used, at least in part, to urge or move needles or other suitable substance transfer components into the skin of a subject. In some cases, for example, the device may contain a flexible concave member and a needle mechanically coupled to the flexible concave member such that the needle may be urged or moved into the skin using the flexible concave member. Other aspects of the present invention are directed at other devices for receiving blood (or other bodily fluids, e.g., interstitial fluid), kits involving such devices, methods of making such devices, methods of using such devices, and the like.

A lancing device including a latch that pivots between a non-blocking position allowing a lancet carrier and a lancet to advance and retract through a first forward and reverse lancing stroke and a blocking position preventing further/excess/secondary oscillation of the lancet carrier and lancet. The pivotal latch can pivot about an axis perpendicular (e.g., for an L-shaped latch) or parallel/coaxial (e.g., for a sleeve latch) to the advancement and retraction motion of the lancet carrier and lancet.

A fluid handling device includes a receiving container with a piston arranged therein in a displaceable manner, such that the volume of a fluid receiving reservoir may be changed by a displacement of the piston. In addition, the fluid handling device includes an actuation mechanism configured to displace a carrier bearing upon actuation of the former. Finally, the fluid handling device includes a spring mechanism configured to transfer a force from the carrier bearing to the piston so as to effect, in response to displacement of the carrier bearing in a first direction, a displacement of the piston within the receiving container such that a volume of the fluid reservoir is increased.

An apparatus includes a housing, defining an inner volume, and an actuator mechanism movably disposed therein. The actuator mechanism is configured to be transitioned from a first configuration to a second configuration to define a pre-sample reservoir fluidically couplable to receive a pre-sample volume of bodily-fluid via an inlet port of the housing. The actuator mechanism is movable from a first position to a second position within the housing after the pre-sample reservoir receives the pre-sample volume such that the housing and the actuator mechanism collectively define a sample reservoir to receive a sample volume of bodily-fluid via the inlet port. The outlet port is in fluid communication with the sample reservoir and is configured to be fluidically coupled to an external fluid reservoir after the sample volume is disposed in the sample reservoir to transfer at least a portion of the sample volume into the external fluid reservoir.

A method of controlling lancing speed of a lancing structure of a portable handheld medical diagnostic device includes providing an elongated lancet structure having a skin piercing end and a blood transport portion adjacent the skin piercing end. The skin piercing end when displaced makes an incision at a skin site to produce an amount of bodily fluid from the skin site and in which the blood transport portion transports the amount of bodily fluid away from the skin site for use by a measurement system in making a physiological measurement. A spring-driven motor assembly is operatively connected to the lancet structure. The spring-driven motor assembly displaces the lancet structure toward the skin site to make the incision for producing the amount of bodily fluid and retracts the lancet structure to carry the amount of bodily fluid away from the skin cite. A speed control mechanism is engaged with the spring-driven motor assembly as the spring-driven motor assembly retracts the lancet structure thereby decelerating the lancet structure as the lancet structure is retracted away from the skin site.

A specimen collection assembly including a flow control member for adjustably altering a flow path is disclosed. In one configuration, the flow control member defines a regulation channel in fluid communication with a lumen of a cannula, wherein the flow control member is configured to adjustably alter an effective flow distance between the lumen of the cannula and an interior of an evacuated collection container. In another configuration, the flow control member is positioned to vary an effective cross-sectional area of at least one of an inlet port and an outlet port adapted to be in fluid communication with the lumen and the evacuated collection container.