Patent ID: 8348844

Claim:
A system for automatically sampling blood from a patient, the system comprising: an intravenous blood access catheter; a tube set connected to the catheter forming a single passageway for transporting and dispensing blood samples from a patient to the end of the passageway at a point of measurement, which is in sensing communication with an external blood parameter sensor; a clamp-on air-bubble sensor and an occlusion sensor externally attached to the tube set; two 3-way pinch valves spaced apart and externally atached to the tube set and a single peristaltic pump externally attached to the tube set between said pinch valves; a rinse solution in fluid communication with both said pinch valves; and a controller operatively connected to the peristaltic pump and said pinch valves; wherein the controller is configured to operate the peristaltic pump in forward and reverse mode, in forward mode, when the catheter is inserted in a patient's bodily fluid vessel, the peristaltic pump draws blood from the patient to the point of measurement, once the external sensor measures the blood analyte, the controller controls the pinch valves, releasing rinse solution, rinsing said passageway; after which the controller controls the pinch valves and operates the pump in reverse mode, re-infusing blood back into said patient.