A blood collecting syringe that advantageously indicates whether the needle has correctly entered the blood vessel, typically a vein. Correct placement is determined when the user observes flashback, or blood entering the syringe. Flashback can be undetected in certain situations due to lack of pressure in the patients vascular system, typically the venous system. This syringe includes an internal, luminal region having an adjustable volume. When desired, the initial luminal volume can be increased to create a partial vacuum. This partial vacuum results in an improved detection of flashback.

A handling device for medical technology includes a main body part and a front wall which define a receiving space. A cannula protrudes with its proximal cannula end into the receiving space. A hose-like sleeve is held with its distal sleeve end on at least one holding element of the holding device, which holding element is formed or arranged directly on the front wall. The holding element bears externally on the sleeve in a contact area. Moreover, a method produces a handling device of this type.

A blood sequestration device includes an inlet path, an outlet path, a sequestration chamber, and a sampling channel. The sequestration chamber is connected with the inlet path by a junction and is configured to receive a first portion of blood through the inlet path. The sequestration chamber has a vent that allows air to be displaced by the first portion of blood, the junction being configured to inhibit a return to the inlet path of any of the first portion of blood received by the sequestration chamber. The sampling channel is connected between the inlet path and the outlet path, and configured to convey subsequent amounts of blood between the inlet path and the outlet path after the first amount of blood is received by the sequestration chamber.

When drawing blood, it is useful to always have the needle in a bevel up position but this cannot be guaranteed using conventional syringe barrel/needle assemblies. This problem is solved by providing a needle holder having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being provided with means adapted to secure an integral screw-threaded hub of a needle or a double ended needle, wherein the means comprises a circular wall defining a bore through the proximal end of the needle holder, the wall incorporating a pair of opposed helical ledges, the path of each respective ledge spanning up to half the circumference of the bore, the incline of each ledge being so arranged on the wall as to permit complementary mating contact with a screw-threaded hub of a needle or a double ended needle.

A needle assembly comprising a housing, a first needle hub provided by the housing, a first hollow needle portion mounted to the first needle hub and extending from the first needle hub in a distal direction. A second needle hub is provided by the housing. A second hollow needle portion is mounted to the second needle hub and extends from the second needle hub in a proximal direction, opposite to the distal direction, wherein a hollow flashback chamber is arranged within the housing between the first needle portion and the second needle portion. The flashback chamber communicates with the inner lumen provided within the first and second hollow needle portion and is connected to the atmosphere by a passage and wherein a filter is provided within the passage, which is designed such that it is permeable for air to pour out of the flashback chamber into the atmosphere.

The present invention is directed to the parenteral procurement of bodily-fluid samples. The present invention is also directed to systems and methods for parenterally procuring bodily-fluid samples with reduced contamination from dermally-residing microbes. In some embodiments, a bodily-fluid withdrawing system is used to withdraw bodily fluid from a patient for incubation in culture media in one or more sample vessels. Prior to withdrawing bodily fluid into the one or more sample vessels for incubation, an initial volume of withdrawn bodily fluid is placed in one or more pre-sample reservoirs and is not used for the incubation in culture media.

A blood collection apparatus may include a connector, which may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending there between. The distal end may include a male luer lock fitting configured to couple to a proximal end of a catheter adapter, and the proximal end may include a male luer slip fitting. The blood collection apparatus may include a lid, which may include a body, a closure, and a tether connecting the body to the closure. The body may include a cover portion and an inner wall extending from the cover portion. The inner wall may be aligned with an aperture extending through the cover portion. The inner wall and the aperture may form a channel configured to receive the male luer slip fitting.

A blood culture sample collection system includes a container holder defining an opening and including a needle positioned within the opening, an adapter engaged with the container holder, an access connector in fluid communication with the needle of the container holder, with the access connector configured to be connected to a vascular access device, and a collection container including: a pre-advancement position; an advanced position; and a post-collection position.

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.

Blood collection devices having a retractable needle are provided. Activation of the retraction mechanism causes release of propellant from a propellant chamber, which drives a retraction assembly carrying the needle into a body of the device.