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 method of performing an intravenous drip injection includes a first step, a second step, a third step and a fourth step. A first step includes starting dosing an infusion solution containing a predetermined component by the intravenous drip injection to a dosing recipient. A second step includes extracting a body fluid from the dosing recipient being dosed with the infusion solution. A third step includes measuring a concentration of the predetermined component in the extracted body fluid. A fourth step includes varying the concentration of the predetermined component in the infusion solution, corresponding to the concentration of the predetermined component in the body fluid.

Provided is a puncture needle that receives lower puncture resistance than conventional techniques. A puncture needle in accordance with an aspect of the present invention includes a needle body (10) that includes a main portion (12) and a distal portion (11) tapering from the main portion (12) and that is rotatable about a central axis (1) of the needle body (10), the needle body (10) including needle parts (15) separated by a boundary along the central axis, each of the needle parts (15) being independently translatable along the central axis (1).

A disposable lancet assembly includes: a spring aligned along a linear axis; a lancet aligned along the linear axis adjacent to the spring; a needle cup aligned along the linear axis adjacent to the lancet; and a housing including a channel that accepts an actuator interface such that the needle cup and lancet are able to be moved along the linear axis via the actuator interface. A medical test cartridge includes: a bottom plate; a microfluidic chip; and a top plate, wherein the top plate is coupled to the bottom plate such that the microfluidic chip is retained between the top plate and the bottom plate. A sample collection and testing device includes: a lancet assembly; a lancet actuator coupled to the lancet assembly; and a microfluidic test chip.

A system for needle-free drawing of blood is disclosed. A hand-portable device can include an evacuated negative-pressure barrel with a membrane sealing an aperture at a distal end, and a housing affixed to a proximal end. An accelerator barrel can be positioned within the negative-pressure barrel and fixed to the housing, with an open proximal end in a chamber in the housing, and an open distal end aligned with the aperture. The chamber can be filled with pressurized gas, and a trigger valve can hydrostatically separate the chamber from the open proximal end of the accelerator barrel. A micro-particle positioned within the accelerator barrel can be accelerated to high speed by an abrupt surge of gas by releasing the trigger valve. The micro-particle can attain enough momentum to pierce the aperture membrane and penetrate adjacent dermal tissue. A resulting micro-emergence of blood can be drawn into the negative pressure barrel.

A lancet magazine for use in a lancing aid is described comprising a plurality of lancets each having a lancet body at the proximal end of the lancet and a lancet tip at the distal end of the lancet, where the proximal end of the lancet points in the direction of the proximal end of the housing of the lancet magazine and the distal end of the lancet is aligned in the direction of the distal end of the housing and the lancets in the unused state are completely surrounded by the housing. Furthermore, an extension unit is movably connected to the housing in such a manner that the housing can be extended by movement of the extension unit in the direction of the distal end of the housing such that the lancet is prevented from emerging from the lancet magazine.

A glucose test device includes a casing, a carrying unit, consumables, a first push rod, a locking component, a first driving unit and a control unit. The carrying unit is disposed at the casing. The consumables are disposed in the carrying unit. The first push rod is movably disposed at the casing. The first push rod is suitable for moving to push one consumable out of the carrying unit. The locking component is movably disposed at the casing. The first driving unit is connected to the locking component. The control unit is electrically connected to the first driving unit. The control unit is suitable for controlling the first driving unit to drive the locking component to lock the first push rod as unmovable. The control unit is suitable for controlling the first driving unit to drive the locking component to release the first push rod.

Compact devices are provided to measure hematocrit of a blood sample. These devices include first and second chambers that receive respective portions of a blood sample via respective filters. The material of the filters prevents passage of red blood cells while permitting passage of blood plasma. One of the filters has one or more holes to permit the passage of whole blood. Thus, when an example device is presented with a sample of blood, one of the chambers contains whole blood and the other contains blood from which the red blood cells have been filtered. Electrodes in each of the chambers can then be used to detect the impedances of the whole blood and the filtered blood, and the detected impedances can be used to determine a hematocrit of the sample of blood.

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to devices, systems and methods for the collection of bodily fluids involving a single-use actuation and retraction mechanism disposed within a collector.

Certain embodiments of a sensor cartridge element include a sensor module, an electrode arrangement installed on the sensor module, and a delivery arrangement securely coupled to the sensor module. The sensor module includes an analysis cell and a skin piercing member. The electrode arrangement generates an electrical signal when exposed to a fluid sample collected in the analysis cell. The delivery arrangement includes a drug reservoir, a piston chamber, and a valve arrangement providing selective fluid communication between the drug reservoir and the piston chamber. Metering electronics and an actuator can manage collection of fluid samples and/or dispensing of drug doses.