Patent Publication Number: US-2023147679-A1

Title: Capillary blood sampling

Description:
The present disclosure relates to capillary blood sampling. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Capillary blood sampling refers to sampling blood from a puncture at a site that typically includes a finger, heel or earlobe. 
     A typical current approach to capillary blood sampling comprises (i) wiping the site with an alcohol wipe, (ii) using a lancet to puncture the site, (iii) wiping away a first drop of blood on a piece of cotton wool, and (iv) applying blood from the site to a transfer device such as a capillary tube. Sometimes to obtain enough blood the area around the site, for example the finger, can be massaged to “milk” or express the blood. Once in the transfer device, the blood can be analysed, for example by transferring the blood to a sample chamber of a test device. The sample chamber may be part of a cartridge for use with a diagnostic system. 
     The present disclosure seeks to provide improvements relating to capillary blood sampling. 
     SUMMARY 
     This summary introduces concepts that are described in more detail in the detailed description. It should not be used to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     The present disclosure recognises that there are barriers to the adoption of capillary blood sampling, particularly when self-performed. There are too many consumables to use (alcohol wipe, lancet, cotton wool, and transfer device), the user may have a fear of sight of blood, and there may be a fear of pain. Furthermore, the typical current approach to capillary blood sampling is a complicated, multi-step procedure in which it can be difficult to hold the finger and the lancet, then the transfer device and finger with the blood drop. 
     The present disclosure also recognises that there are barriers to obtaining a good quality blood sample, particularly when self-performed. These include not using an alcohol wipe to clean the site before puncturing, variations in lancet size in width or depth resulting in not enough or too much blood and potentially unnecessary pain, no wiping away of the first drop of blood meaning the sample can include cell tissue contaminants, and not enough blood being introduced into the transfer device to run all tests. 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a finger lancing device comprising a body having a chamber for receiving a finger and a lancing device comprising a lancing member actuator for actuating a lancing member to lance a finger received in the chamber. 
     Advantageously, a simplified finger lancing device is provided. Furthermore, a better quality blood sample may be obtained as the lancet size and usage can be more controlled. Also, the lancet can be obscured from view as can the puncture site which can help with fear of pain or fear of the sight of blood. 
     The body having a chamber may be considered as an elongate body and the chamber may be considered as an elongate chamber. The body having a chamber may be considered as an elongate receptacle or an elongate sheath. The chamber/elongate chamber/elongate receptacle/elongate sheath is for receiving a finger within it. The chamber can be considered as a chamber configured to receive a finger. 
     The finger lancing device may further comprise the lancing member, wherein the lancing member actuator is configured to actuate the lancing member to lance the finger inserted into the chamber. 
     The finger lancing device may further comprise a wipe provided within the chamber for wiping the finger before lancing. The wipe may be an antibacterial wipe. The wipe may be an alcohol wipe such as a 70% alcohol wipe. Advantageously, the procedure is simplified as wiping of the finger before puncturing the site is more assured. 
     The wipe may be provided on an inner wall of the chamber. The wipe is provided in a suitable position for wiping the finger, for example near the end of the chamber from which the finger is received. The wipe may be positioned so that the finger is moved across the surface of the wipe as it is inserted into the chamber. Again, the procedure is simplified as wiping of the finger before puncturing the site is more assured. 
     The finger lancing device may further comprise an absorbent wipe provided on an inner wall of the chamber for wiping away a first drop of blood. Advantageously, the procedure is simplified as wiping away of the first drop of blood is more assured. 
     The finger lancing device may further comprise an openable seal, the openable seal being at an end of the chamber for receiving the finger. Advantageously, the device can be kept free from contaminants and a sterile environment can be provided. The seal also helps prevent the antibacterial or alcohol wipe from drying out. 
     The wipe for wiping the finger before lancing may be provided on the openable seal, optionally on the inner side of the openable seal. Advantageously, the procedure is simplified as wiping of the finger before puncturing the site is more assured. 
     The finger lancing device may be considered as a blood collection device. 
     The device may further comprise a capillary collection device for collecting a blood sample from the finger received in the chamber. Again, the procedure is simplified as transfer of the blood into the capillary collection device is simpler. 
     The capillary collection device may have a fill line to indicate a volume of blood required. Advantageously, this helps ensure the correct amount of blood is collected. 
     The chamber may hold within it an elastomeric ring for guiding the finger. Advantageously, the elastomeric ring, which may be made from a rubber-like material, can provide an interference fit, thereby accommodating different finger sizes. 
     The body may be flexible. For example, the body may be made from an elastomeric or rubber-like material (e.g. silicone). Advantageously, the device may fit around different finger sizes. Advantageously, the finger may be massaged to “milk” or express more blood from the site. Accordingly, the correct amount of blood can be obtained. 
     The body may be transparent. This enables the user to more easily position the finger to perform the blood collection. 
     The body of the finger lancing device (or blood collection device) may be provided on its own. Accordingly, in another aspect, the present disclosure provides a body for a finger lancing device (or a finger lancing device body or blood collection device body) comprising a chamber for receiving a finger, wherein the body comprises a hole for receiving a lancing device. The hole can be considered as a hole or aperture configured to receive a lancing device. 
     The body may comprise an openable seal covering the hole for receiving the lancing device. The body may further comprise a hole for receiving a capillary collection device. The hole can be considered as a hole or aperture configured to receive a capillary collection device. The body may further comprise an openable seal covering the hole for receiving the capillary collection device. Advantageously, the seals mean keep the device free from contaminants and enable a sterile environment to be provided. The seals also help prevent the antibacterial or alcohol wipe from drying out. 
     The body and one or more of the lancing device and capillary collection device may be provided as a kit. Accordingly, in another aspect, the present disclosure provides a kit or kit of parts comprising a body as described and at least one of a lancing device or a capillary collection device. 
     Any one or more of the features disclosed herein in connection with the body when assembled with the lancing device and/or capillary collection device may be provided with the body on its own (i.e. without the lancing device and/or capillary collection device). 
     These features include the wipe provided within the chamber for wiping the finger before lancing, the absorbent wipe provided on an inner wall of the chamber for wiping away a first drop of blood, the openable seal at an end of the chamber for receiving the finger, and the elastomeric ring. The body may be flexible and/or transparent. 
     The body can be provided on its own, with or without the seals, and can be packed in its own packaging such as a sterile package. 
     Advantageously, embodiments of the described devices can help address the aforementioned barriers to the adoption of capillary blood sampling and barriers to obtaining a good quality blood sample. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a finger lancing device in the form of a blood collection device; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a hand next to the blood collection device before the little finger of the hand is inserted into the device; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates the hand and device with the little finger of the hand inserted into or received within the chamber of the device; 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional side view of the blood collection device; 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional perspective view of the blood collection device; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional end view of the blood collection device using the same cross section as  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  7    shows the finger in a position where a drop of blood from the lanced site on the finger has been brought into contact with the end of the capillary collection device of the blood collection device; and 
         FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  illustrate perspective views of the blood collection device showing an openable seal. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a finger lancing device which in this implementation is a blood collection device  100 . The device  100  comprises a body  102  having a space or chamber within it for receiving a finger. The device  100  also comprises a lancing device  104  connected to the body. The lancing device  104  comprises a lancet or lancing member within it which is arranged to lance into the space within the body  102 . The lancing device  100  also comprises a lancing member actuator for activating the lancing member. The device  100  also comprises a capillary collection device  106 . One end of the capillary collection device  106  is arranged to open into the chamber within the body  102 . 
     The device  100  can be used to obtain a blood sample from a finger. To do this, the end of a finger is inserted into the chamber and the lancing member actuator is activated by pressing its end so that the lancing member inside it pierces the skin of the end of the finger within the chamber. The finger is then turned so that the blood touches the end of the capillary collection within the chamber so that the blood is drawn into the capillary collection device  106  by capillary action. 
     The lancet or lancing member may be provided as a separate, disposable component. 
     The device need not comprise a capillary collection device. Such a configuration can be used as a finger lancing device (as opposed to a blood collection device). In such a configuration, the finger lancing device may be used to prick the finger before removing the finger. In this way, the blood can be applied to a separate transfer or collection device such as a capillary collection device, e.g. a capillary tube. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a hand  200  next to the blood collection device  100  before the little finger of the hand is inserted into the device  100 . The body  102  of the device has an opening to the chamber inside the body into which the finger is inserted. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates the hand  200  and device  100  with the little finger of the hand inserted into or received within the chamber. 
       FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional side view of the blood collection device  100  and hand  200  in which the little finger  126  has been inserted into the chamber  103  of the body  102 . The figure shows the little finger  126  in a position where the lancing device  104  can be activated to prick the finger. 
     The body  102  is generally circular in cross section and the chamber  103  or space inside the body for receiving the finger is generally cylindrical in shape. 
     A wipe  110  is provided within the chamber  103  on a wall of the chamber. The wipe is for wiping the finger before lancing. As the finger is inserted into the chamber  103  (before reaching the position depicted) the wipe  110  is used to wipe the finger clean. The wipe  110  is provided within the chamber on a wall of the chamber between the opening  105  and the point where the lancing member will prick the finger so that, as the finger enters the chamber  103 , the finger is wiped on wipe  110 . The wipe  110  can be positioned in any suitable position for wiping the finger, and in this example is provided near the opening. The wipe  110  in this example is a 70% alcohol wipe. 
     An elastomeric ring  108  is provided within the chamber on a wall of the chamber. The ring  108  helps guide the finger and can provide an interference fit to accommodate different finger sizes. In a configuration with an elastomeric ring, the body  102  may be made of a rigid material such as plastic, though other less rigid/flexible materials may be used. 
       FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional perspective view of the device  100 . The cross section has been taken along a plane cutting through the body  102 , chamber  103 , lancing device  104  and capillary collection device  106 .  FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional end view of the device  100  which uses the same cross section.  FIG.  6    is a magnified view when compared to  FIG.  5    and does not show the whole lancing device  104  or the whole capillary collection device  106 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , the device  100  is shown with the body  102 , chamber  103 , lancing device  104  and capillary collection device  106 . As illustrated, the lancing device  104  comprises a lancing member actuator  114  and a lancing member  124  (or lancet). Finger  126 , which has been inserted into the chamber  103  can be pricked by pressing the actuator  24  which is arranged to drive the lancing member towards the finger so that the lancing member pricks the finger. The capillary collection device comprises a capillary tip  111  and is described in more detail below with reference to  FIG.  7   . 
     Lancing devices such as lancing device  104  are known and are commercially available. One example lancing device is the Accu-Chek™ Safe-T Pro Plus lancing device available from Roche Diagnostics, a division of F Hoffmann-La Roche AG. Embodiments may use any lancing device, including commercially available devices, such as those available from Roche Diagnostics, or a specially designed device. The lancing device  104  is connected to the body  102 . As can be seen, the lancing device  104  connects to body  102  via a hole  115  for receiving the lancing device  104 . In the depicted configuration the lancing device is held in the hole  115  through a press or friction fit. In other configurations, the lancing device  104  can be bonded to the body, for example with a suitable adhesive such as a silicone adhesive. 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , an absorbent wipe  112  is provided on the wall of the chamber between the lancing device  104  and the capillary collection device  106 . More specifically, the wipe is provided inside the chamber on the wall of the chamber between the position where the lancing member enters the chamber and the position where the opening of one end of the capillary tip of the capillary collection device connects to the chamber. As can be seen, the wipe  112  is held in place by L-shaped formations  121  and projection  123 . 
     After the finger has been pricked using the lancing device, the finger can be rotated within the chamber in the direction of the wipe  112 . The first drop of blood can be absorbed by the wipe  112 . The finger can then be rotated further in the same direction so that blood from the lanced finger comes into contact with the end of the end of capillary tip  111  of the capillary collection device  106 . Blood is then drawn into the capillary collection device. 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , the figure shows the finger in a position where a drop of blood  113  from the lanced site on the finger has been brought into contact with the end of the capillary tip  111  of the capillary collection device  106 . 
     As mentioned above, the capillary collection device  106  comprises a capillary tip  111 . One end of the capillary tip fits into a hole  119  in the body  102  and at the other end there is a fill line  116  to indicate a volume of blood required. The device  106  also comprises a filter at the end of the capillary tip, just beyond the fill line. The device also comprises a piston  107  that sits within a piston housing. The piston  107  is provided with a ventilation hole at the end. After the capillary tip  111  of the collection device is filled to the fill line with blood, the device can be removed from the body  102  and the piston  107  can be used to dispense the blood sample. 
     Capillary collection devices such as the capillary collection device  106  are known and are commercially available. One example capillary collection device is the Minivette™ POCT collection device available from Sarstedt AG &amp; Co. Embodiments may use any capillary collection device, including commercially available devices, such as those available from Sarstedt AG &amp; Co, or a specially designed device. The capillary collection device  106  is connected to the body  102 . As can be seen, the capillary collection device  106  connects to body  102  via a hole  119  for receiving the lancing device  104 . In the depicted configuration the capillary collection device is held in the hole  119  through a press or friction fit. In other configurations, other ways of connecting the components may be used. 
     In some configurations the capillary and fill area are visible so the operator can see the blood flow in and know whether any ‘milking’ of the finger to express further blood is needed. 
     The device  100  can be provided with an openable seal which seals the opening of the chamber  103 .  FIGS.  8 A  and B depict perspective views of the device  100  with an openable seal  130 . In  FIG.  8 A  the seal is sealed and in  FIG.  8 B  the seal is depicted in a near removed position. In this embodiment the seal  130  is a peelable film seal that is applied to the body chamber to keep the device sealed from the external environment and to help prevent the wipe  110  drying out. The seal can be made of any commercially available sealing film such as a medical grade sealing film (e.g. a plastic film, typically a polyester film). An adhesive such as a medical grade silicone or acrylic adhesive can be used to adhere the seal  130  to the body  102 . The wipe  110  can be provided on the inside of the openable seal instead of being provided on a wall of the chamber. Wipes in both locations can be provided in some configurations. 
     In some configurations, the body  102  is flexible. That is, the body is made from a flexible material so that further drops of blood can be expressed from the finger  126  through the body  102 . Such configurations may not include an elastomeric ring. 
     In some configurations, the body  102  is transparent. 
     The body  102  may be made of any suitable material. In some configurations, the body is made from a silicone, urethane or any medical grade elastomer. The body can be made in any suitable way. One way of making the body is using a mould. 
     The body  102  has been described in connection with the lancing device  104  and the capillary collection device  106 . The body can be made as a separate component and later connected to the lancing device and the capillary collection device. The body  102  can be produced and sold separately, for the user to assemble with a lancing device and/or a capillary collection device that they have sourced separately. The finger lancing device  100  may be pre-assembled and sold in pre-assembled form. The finger lancing device  100  may be sold as a kit of parts comprising the body and one or both of the lancing device  104  and capillary collection device  116 . The holes  115  and  119  may each be sealed with a removable seal when the body is provided on its own or as a kit of unassembled parts. The seals can be made of any commercially available sealing film such as a medical grade sealing film (e.g. a plastic film, typically a polyester film). An adhesive such as a medical grade silicone or acrylic adhesive can be used to adhere the seals to the body  102 . 
     The lancing device and capillary collection device can be commercially available devices such as those referenced above. The lancing device and capillary collection device are typically disposable components. The body of the finger lancing device/blood collection device may also be disposable or may be used more than once, particularly in a simple embodiment without any one-use components. 
     The embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings and described above are exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims, including any equivalents as included within the scope of the claims. Various modifications are possible and will be readily apparent to the skilled person in the art. It is intended that any combination of non-mutually exclusive features described herein are within the scope of the present invention. That is, features of the described embodiments can be combined with any appropriate aspect described above and optional features of any one aspect can be combined with any other appropriate aspect.