Bodily fluid sample transport systems, devices, and method are provided. In at least one embodiment described herein, methods are provided for the physical transport of small volumes of bodily fluid in liquid form from one location to another location. By way of nonlimiting example, the samples are collected in liquid form at a collection site, transported in liquid form, and arrive at an analysis site in liquid form. In many embodiments, the liquid form during transport is not held in a porous matrix, wicking material, webbing, or similar material that prevents sample for being extracted in liquid form at the destination site. In one embodiment, small volume of sample in each sample vessel is in the range of about 1 ml to about 1 microliter.

A blood collection tube holder having a retractable single needle and a body comprising substantially parallel and laterally spaced apart barrel and needle retraction cavities separated by a partial wall that facilitates lateral movement of the single needle from the barrel cavity into alignment with the needle retraction cavity to initiate needle retraction. The barrel and a frontal attachment to the barrel are cooperatively configured to facilitate relative sliding movement between in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal axis through the retractable single needle to initiate needle retraction.

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 Prior to withdrawing bodily fluid into the one or more sample vessels for incubation, an initial volume of withdrawn bodily fluid is placed in one or more pre-sample reservoirs and is not used for the incubation in culture media.

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.

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.

The present invention relates to the field of medical appliances, and specifically, to a disposable pen-type blood-return-visible and anti-reflux venous blood collection needle, comprising a venous puncture needle and a transparent needle seat. A one-way valve fixation seat is arranged in a cavity of the transparent needle seat, and an anti-reflux one-way valve is mounted on the one-way valve fixation seat. The one-way valve fixation seat is plugged from a front end of the needle seat and mounted in the cavity of the needle seat. A tail end of the venous puncture needle is plugged and mounted in a blood inlet of the one-way valve fixation seat. A tail end of a puncture-end protective cover is sleeved over an outer wall of a front portion of the needle seat. A tube-plug puncture needle is plugged and mounted in a blood outlet on a tail portion of the needle seat, and a latex sheath is sleeved over the tube-plug puncture needle. An abutting-end protective cover is sleeved over the latex sheath, and a front end of the abutting-end protective cover is sleeved over an outer wall of the tail end of the puncture-end protective cover. The present invention can prevent blood in a negative-pressure blood collection container from suddenly flowing back to the human body, and can greatly reduce waste of a blood sample as the blood sample directly enters the needle seat through the venous puncture needle.

Bodily fluid sample transport systems, devices, and method are provided. In at least one embodiment described herein, methods are provided for the physical transport of small volumes of bodily fluid in liquid form from one location to another location. By way of nonlimiting example, the samples are collected in liquid form at a collection site, transported in liquid form, and arrive at an analysis site in liquid form. In many embodiments, the liquid form during transport is not held in a porous matrix, wicking material, webbing, or similar material that prevents sample for being extracted in liquid form at the destination site. In one embodiment, small volume of sample in each sample vessel is in the range of about 1 ml to about 1 microliter.

Provided is a blood collection unit suitable for accelerated blood coagulation of whole blood for subsequent autologous or allogeneic use. The blood collection unit includes an inside surface that an activation site accelerating coagulation by having a high roughness. Further provided is a blood collection unit including an inside surface that has an activation site having a high roughness area, and an interior of the blood collection unit has been prepared with a pressure of no more than 255 mBar, and preferably a pressure of no more than 130 mBar.

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.

The invention provides methods and devices for drawing blood, in which the blood collected into a container closely resembles the blood as it existed before collection (i.e., as it existed in vivo). In some embodiments this may be achieved by modulating a flow rate of blood into the collection container in order to preserve the integrity of the blood. By modulating the flow rate of the blood, shear forces acting on cells and cellular components in the blood are reduced. This preserves the integrity of such cells and cellular components and facilitates more accurate detection and analysis of low-abundance analytes.