Patent ID: 8557598

Claim:
A method for measuring a blood sample in a container sealed by a cap, comprising the steps of: performing a first piercing of the cap of the container by inserting a tip of an aspiration pipe, which comprises a flow channel extending in a longitudinal direction and an aspiration opening connecting to the flow channel and formed near the tip, into the sealed container to communicate an interior of the sealed container with atmosphere through the flow channel; drawing out the aspiration pipe from the sealed container communicated with the atmosphere; supplying a diluted solution from a base end side of the aspiration pipe to fill the flow channel of the drawn out aspiration pipe with the diluted solution; forming an air gap in an aspiration opening side of the filled flow channel by aspirating from the base end side of the aspiration pipe; performing a second piercing of the cap by inserting the air gap-formed and diluted solution-filled aspiration pipe into the sealed container; aspirating the blood sample in the sealed container from the aspiration opening of the air gap-formed and diluted solution-filled aspiration pipe; drawing out the blood sample-aspirated aspiration pipe from the sealed container; transporting the blood sample-aspirated aspiration pipe to a measurement sample preparing container; discharging the aspirated blood sample into the measurement sample preparing container from the aspiration opening of the aspiration pipe; and measuring a measurement sample prepared in the measurement sample preparing container, wherein the method is an automated method.