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.

Articles and methods for collecting and/or facilitating transfer of fluids are generally provided. In some embodiments, an article comprises a fluid collection region for introducing a fluid, such as a sample (e.g., blood sample) or a reagent, into a fluidic system. The articles and methods described herein may be useful for facilitating the filling of relatively small channels with a fluid, such as channels of a microfluidic device. The articles and methods may, for example, interface with a patient sample (e.g., a droplet of blood), or with a macroscopic fluid source such as a pipette or syringe. In certain embodiments, articles and methods described herein may increase the ease of collecting a fluidic sample from a patient, prevent or reduce spillage of the fluidic sample, reduce contamination of a fluidic sample, and/or prevent or reduce air from entering a fluidic sample or device compared to certain existing fluid collection devices.

A medical device including a housing, and a diagnostic cartridge removably coupled to the housing, the diagnostic cartridge including a retractable needle mechanism disposed within the diagnostic cartridge, the retractable needle mechanism configured to extract a fluid sample, a fluid collection chamber disposed the retractable needle mechanism, the fluid collection chamber configured to collect the fluid sample extracted by the retractable needle mechanism, and a diagnostic chip disposed within the fluid collection chamber configured to analyze the fluid sample.

This disclosure is directed to a disposal container system enabling storage of used or contaminated articles having a generally flat, strip-shaped configuration, such as diagnostic biosensors. The disposal container is removably mountable to a supply container, and has an insertion portion provided in a wall of the disposal container. The insertion portion has a contour configured externally to guide deposit of a flat, strip-shaped article through a narrow slit, the contour further configured internally to deflect any loose articles in the interior space of the disposal container away from any accidental alignment with the slit which would cause free extraction of the articles. The disposal container may be configured for engagement with a supply container, such as a round or non-round vial, in a bottom-cap configuration or in a side-by-side configuration, by way of an engagement portion.

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.

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 medical device with a capacitive sensing function includes a medical body having a syringe and a sensing circuit having an electrode, a protective film adhered to the medical body and including a plastic film, an electrode provided on the plastic film and opposite from the electrode of the medical body, and a capacitive sensor formed by the electrode of the medical body and the electrode of the protective film and being a part of the sensing circuit, wherein a capacitance value of the capacitive sensor changed under the condition of removing the protective film from the medical body, the sensing circuit being configured to detect the capacitance value and trigger corresponding function of the medical body.

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 biological sample collection and storage assembly, including: at least one filtering component; and an absorbent storage component; wherein the at least one filtering component is configured to filter a received biological sample in fluid form containing free cells and other biological components to separate the free cells from the other biological components such that the other biological components flow to the absorbent storage component for subsequent testing or analysis.