The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for monitoring and/or providing feedback for drugs or other pharmaceuticals taken by a subject. In one aspect, the present invention is directed to devices and methods for determining a species within the skin of a subject; and producing feedback to a subject based on the determination of the species. The feedback may be, for example, visual, audible, tactile, a change in temperature, etc. In some cases, information regarding the determination of the species may be transmitted to another entity, e.g., a health care provider, a computer, a relative, etc., which may then provide feedback to the subject in some fashion. In some cases, the feedback may be directly indicative of the species, e.g., whether the species is present, the concentration of the species, whether a by-product of a reaction involving the species is present, whether a compound affected by the species is present, etc. However, the feedback may also be indirect in some embodiments. For example, the subject may be presented with an external reward, e.g., based on the determination of the species within the skin. For instance, a reward such as cash, coupons, songs, discounts, personal items, etc., may be offered based on the level of compliance of the subject. Still other aspects of the invention are generally directed to kits involving such devices (with or without the drug to be monitored), methods of promoting such systems, or the like.

A patient monitoring network pertaining to blood glucose and other analyte measurements includes wireless blood glucose or other analyte measuring devices and a networked computer or server. Each monitoring device is associated with a patient and is configured to measure the glucose level or other analyte from a given blood sample via inserted test strips, transmit the measurements to the networked computer, and display received messages. The blood glucose monitoring device includes means for substantially reducing factors that could affect the glucose measurement such as thermal and RF interference.

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 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.

This invention is in the field of medical devices. Specifically, the present invention provides portable medical devices that allow real-time detection of analytes from a biological fluid. The methods and devices are particularly useful for providing point-of-care testing for a variety of medical applications.

A sample collection and testing device for analyzing blood is provided that includes a controller, a fluid flow pathway, a pump configured to move fluid through the fluid pathway, and an optical fluid measurement element configured to measure a light intensity of the fluid in the fluid flow pathway. The controller is configured to: start the pump to move a blood sample in the fluid flow pathway, receive a signal from the optical fluid measurement element indicating a detection of a leading edge of the blood in the fluid flow pathway, stop the pump to stop the moving of the blood in the pathway, receive a plurality of light intensity measurements from the optical measurement element, each light intensity measurement measured at a corresponding point of time, and provide a mapping of the light intensity measurements into an indication of a coagulation of the blood sample over a time period.

The present invention provides methods of calibrating a fluidic device useful for detecting an analyte of interest in a bodily fluid. The invention also provides methods for assessing the reliability of an assay for an analyte in a bodily fluid with the use of a fluidic device. Another aspect of the invention is a method for performing a trend analysis on the concentration of an analyte in a subject using a fluidic device.

A blood sample collector can be used to collect a blood sample from a subject. The blood sample collector can be placed in a receptacle of a spectrometer to measure spectral data from the blood sample while the blood sample separates. The container may comprise a window to allow light such as infrared light to pass through the container, with the blood sample at least partially separating within the container between spectral measurements, which can provide improved accuracy of the measurements and additional information regarding the sample. The container may comprise an elongate axis and the container configured for placement in the spectrometer receptacle with the elongate axis extending toward a vertical direction in order to improve gravimetric separation of the blood sample. The spectrometer can be configured to measure the blood sample at a plurality of heights along the sample as the sample separates.

Described here are devices, systems, and methods for analyte measurement. The analyte measurement devices and systems may be configured to produce a prompt that may convey information, instructions and/or encouragement to a user. In some variations, analyte measurement devices may be configured to change a prompt based on the replacement or addition of components of/to the device. In some instances, a prompt may be an auditory prompt and/or a visual prompt. In some variations, a system may comprise an analyte measurement device comprising a housing, a speaker, and a control unit. The housing may comprise a releasable housing portion comprising an identifier that is associated with a prompt. In some variations, a system may comprise an analyte measurement device and a skin that may releasably attach to the analyte measurement device and may comprise an identifier that is associated with a prompt.

The present disclosure relates to a cartridge, detection module, system, and kit for cell and particle detection and analysis. Devices disclosed herein may include at least an optical source, a fluidic chip, and a detection module, wherein the sample flows within the fluidic chip past a detection window, where the cells or particles are imaged by an image acquisition and analysis module that may include an optical detector. The image acquisition and analysis module may count the cells or particles of interest in real-time, or near real-time, or the module may capture images of the cells in order to analyze the sample from combined images at a later time.