Improvements in and relating to blood sampling devices A blood sampling device includes a housing and a lancet supporting a lancet needle or tip, the lancet and needle being urged or urgeable in a pricking direction. A trigger mechanism is moveable to a fire position for releasing the lancet to travel in the pricking direction. A removable safety cap initially covers the lancet needle. The lancet has an initial position in which movement of the trigger mechanism to its fire position is blocked and an intermediate position in which the trigger mechanism may be moved to its fire position. The intermediate position is obtainable only on removal of the safety cap.

A medical device configured as a tube holder for use in collecting bodily fluids, especially for use as a blood collection tube holder, the device embodying two coaxially alignable needles, the first needle being a forwardly facing fluid collection needle and the second needle being a rearwardly facing fluid discharge needle. The first and second needles are satisfactorily supported by a frontal attachment and body, respectively, that are disposed in relative sliding engagement along an interface that is transverse to the first and second needle and that extends at least from the second needle to an opening into a needle retraction chamber that projects rearwardly from the body.

A medical device configured as a blood collection tube holder, the device having a body with two spaced-apart, oppositely facing, coaxially aligned needles including a forwardly facing venipuncture needle and a rearwardly facing fluid discharge needle, the two needles being held by first and second needle holders separated by a compressible fluid seal defining part of a fluid path between the two needles and the two needle holders. The body also includes a discharge needle displacement member that is manually repositioned following removal of the last blood tube holder so that the discharge needle displacement member contacts the second needle holder and displaces the second needle holder and the fluid discharge needle laterally inside the body to initiate retraction of the venipuncture needle into a rearwardly projecting needle retraction chamber.

A shieldable needle device including a drive member is disclosed. The drive member is extendable between a biased position and an extended position for moving a tip guard from an first position to a second position in which the tip guard shields a distal end of the needle cannula. The shieldable needle device includes a pair of wings extending laterally from opposing sides of the hub that are movable between a laterally extending position and a dorsal position. With the wings in the dorsal position, the wings retain the drive member in the biased position thereby maintaining the tip guard in the first position. Movement of the wings from the dorsal position to the laterally extending position releases retainment of the drive member. A second drive member may be included.

A body-insertion device for a body includes an adjustment unit for adjusting bevel orientation of a needle, and a moving unit for the needle. The moving unit supports a needle unit having the needle, the bevel orientation of which is adjusted by the adjustment unit; adjusts the needle unit to the orientation which is appropriate for body-insertion; and moves the needle unit for body-insertion.

An intravenous therapy system may include a hollow needle comprising a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end comprising a sharp tip for insertion into a vein; an infrared (IR) camera placed within a hollow portion of the hollow needle, including: an IR detector; a first light source to emit a first wavelength of IR light; and a second light source to emit a second wavelength of IR light; a comparator to, upon execution of a processor communicatively coupled to the comparator, compare an amount of reflected light received at the IR detector during activation of the first light and second light and provide an indication of light absorption within a vein.

Devices associated with on-body analyte sensor units are disclosed. These devices include any of packaging and/or loading systems, applicators and elements of the on-body sensor units themselves. Also, various approaches to connecting electrochemical analyte sensors to and/or within associated on-body analyte sensor units are disclosed. The connector approaches variously involve the use of unique sensor and ancillary element arrangements to facilitate assembly of separate electronics assemblies and sensor elements that are kept apart until the end user brings them together.

A method of dispensing a therapeutic fluid from a line includes providing an inlet line connectable to an upstream fluid source. The inlet line is in downstream fluid communication with a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber has a pump outlet. The method also includes actuating a force application assembly so as to restrict retrograde flow of fluid through the inlet while pressurizing the pumping chamber to urge flow through the pump outlet. A corresponding system employs the method.

Devices and methods for withdrawing bodily fluid from a patient are disclosed herein. A handheld device configured in accordance with the present technology can include a housing having an opening, a skin-piercing assembly located at least partially within the housing, and an actuator movable relative to the housing along a deployment direction. The skin-piercing assembly can include a skin-piercing feature and a biasing member. The biasing member can be coupled to the skin-piercing feature to bias the skin-piercing feature along the deployment direction. Movement of the actuator along the deployment direction to a predetermined position can increase a load on the biasing member to at least a partially loaded state. Movement of the actuator along the deployment direction beyond the predetermined position can release the load on the biasing member so that the biasing member actively drives the skin-piercing feature along the deployment direction.

The invention provides devices that improve tests for detecting specific cellular, viral, and molecular targets in clinical, industrial, or environmental samples. The invention permits efficient detection of individual microscopic targets at low magnification for highly sensitive testing. The invention does not require washing steps and thus allows sensitive and specific detection while simplifying manual operation and lowering costs and complexity in automated operation. In short, the invention provides devices that can deliver rapid, accurate, and quantitative, easy-to-use, and cost-effective tests.