A system acquiring body fluid samples is provided. One embodiment comprises a housing with a sampling channel extending therethrough and defined by an inlet port and an outlet port, wherein the inlet port secures a needle that penetrates a patient; a diversion chamber with a partial vacuum, wherein the diversion chamber is in fluid communication with the sampling channel, wherein an initial first portion of the body fluid received from the needle is transferred through the sampling channel inlet port and into the diversion chamber, and wherein a subsequent second portion of the body fluid received from the needle is communicated through the sampling channel to the outlet port for collection into a collection device while the initially received first portion of the body fluid is retained in the diversion chamber.

The invention relates to a lancet for performing an incision. The lancet has a blade for providing an incision and a trigger housed in a housing. The trigger has a first trigger arm, a second trigger arm and a flexible member connected to the second trigger arm. A resilient member may be disposed within the housing in a pre-cutting state in which it stores energy and arranged to exert a force for moving the second trigger arm and the blade from a first stowed position through a cutting position and to a second stowed position.

A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site includes a single drive force generator. A plurality of penetrating members are operatively coupled to the force generator. The force generator moves each of the members along a path out of a housing with a penetrating member exit, into the tissue site, stops in the tissue site, and withdraws out of the tissue site. A flexible support member couples the penetrating members to define a linear array. The support member is movable and configured to move each of the penetrating members to a launch position associated with the force generator.

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 tube segment sampler system (10) for withdrawing a fluid sample from a tube segment (100), the sampler (10) having a first tube piercing member (28) for piercing the tube segment at a first location and a second tube piercing member (28) for piercing the tube segment at a second location so as to allow air to be drawn into the tube segment (100) through one of the openings made by one of the piercing members (28) whilst fluid is withdrawn through the other of the openings.

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.

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 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 container at least to some extent composed of a sheet of composite material, where the composite material includes an aluminum foil with a first and a second surface side, a first polymer layer, bonded to at least one of the two surface sides, where the aluminum foil covers, by way of the polymer layer, at least one aperture of a holder, where the composite material and the holder together form the container, where the holder accepts at least one analytical aid in a cutout, where the aluminum foil has been molded.

Needle assembly having the following modes of operation; a first mode wherein the safety shield can move to a first retracted position allowing injection of the piercing portion of needle from a position at least partially covering the piercing portion of the needle and a second mode wherein the safety shield moves to a position protecting the piercing portion of the needle after the first mode and is prevented from moving back to a position exposing the piercing portion of the needle.