Apparatus and methods pertaining to catheters used for the withdrawal of blood.

A lancet driver is provided wherein the driver exerts a driving force on a lancet during a lancing cycle and is used on a tissue site. The driver comprises of a drive force generator for advancing the lancet along a path into the tissue site, and a manual switch for a user interface input.

The biological test kit is a device for drawing and, optionally, testing biological samples. The biological test kit is an array of lancets set in wells in a rigid base. Each lancet well is covered by a protective cover which when deformed permits the lancet to puncture a user or other patient. In one embodiment the biological test kit employs distinct covers for each lancet and in another the covers are formed from sheet material formed into blisters which cover the lancet.

A blood collection tube holder that prevents a blood collection tube from falling even when pressed by an elastic sheath body being compressed is provided. A blood collection tube holder 1 includes a blood collection tube holder body 11 and a holding member 12. The blood collection tube holder body 11 includes a needle tube 17 supported by a needle base 15, and an elastic sheath body 18 covering the needle tube 17, and the holding member 12 includes a press-contact member 22. The blood collection tube holder body 11 includes a tongue-shaped protrusion piece 20.

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.

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.

A device for receiving a body fluid for analysis, comprising a container and at least one sample-receiving unit which can be impinged upon by the body fluid at a receiving point and which can be extracted from a guide chamber of the container by means of a drive unit. According to the invention, a coupling device is provided in order to couple the sample receiving unit to the drive unit to ensure back and forth movement between the guide chamber and the receiving point.