Device and method for collecting a blood sample

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9549701-B2
Application number	US-201113185139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2011
Priority date	Jul 19, 2010
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A vent plug is disclosed that includes a body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending through the distal and proximal ends. A membrane is disposed across the lumen, the membrane being hydrophobic and air permeable. A fluid chamber is formed within the lumen distal the membrane. A distal lumen opening being shaped and sized to retain blood within the lumen until the internal pressure of the lumen increases in response the a finger pressing against a proximal lumen opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vent plug comprising:
a body having a distal terminal end, a proximal terminal end, and a lumen extending from the distal terminal end to the proximal terminal end to form a distal lumen opening at the distal terminal end and a proximal lumen opening at the proximal terminal end;
a membrane having an inner surface and an outer surface, the membrane being disposed at the proximal terminal end of the body and continuously across an entire width of the proximal lumen opening of the lumen, the membrane configured to prevent passage of blood through the membrane, the membrane being hydrophobic and air permeable, the membrane coupled to the proximal terminal end of the body, the membrane comprising a depressable exposed portion that is biased to bulge proximally out from the proximal lumen opening such that a portion of the inner surface of the membrane is positioned proximal to the proximal lumen opening; and
a fluid chamber formed within the lumen distal the membrane for collecting the blood, the inner surface of the membrane forming a wall of the fluid chamber such that a portion of the fluid chamber is positioned proximal to the proximal lumen opening, wherein the depressable exposed portion of the membrane is configured to depress distally into a depressed position when pressed by a finger, the depressing of the depressable exposed portion into the depressed position reducing a volume of the fluid chamber thereby causing the blood within the fluid chamber to be expelled through the distal lumen opening.

2. The vent plug of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the outer surface of the membrane is coupled to the proximal terminal end of the body and extends distally into the lumen beyond the proximal lumen opening and couples to a surface of the lumen.

3. The vent plug of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is configured to depress distally to expel a volume of blood of at least 0.05 mL from the fluid chamber.

4. The vent plug of claim 1 , wherein the distal lumen opening has an inner perimeter equal to or less than 2.0 mm.

5. The vent plug of claim 1 , wherein the distal lumen opening is circular and has a diameter between 0.1 mm to 0.6 mm.

6. The vent plug of claim 1 , wherein the distal lumen opening is circular and has a diameter between 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.

7. The vent plug of claim 1 , wherein the fluid chamber has a volume of at least 0.1 mL.

8. A vent plug comprising:
a body having a distal terminal end, a proximal terminal end, and a lumen extending through the distal and proximal terminal ends to form a distal lumen opening and a proximal lumen opening; and
a membrane disposed across an entire width of the lumen, the membrane configured to prevent passage of blood through the lumen, the membrane being hydrophobic and air permeable, the membrane dividing the lumen into an air chamber proximal the membrane and a fluid chamber distal the membrane for collecting the blood, wherein an inner surface of the fluid chamber tapers inwardly along a portion of the inner surface from the membrane to the distal lumen opening;
the distal lumen opening being shaped and sized to retain the blood within the fluid chamber until a change in an internal pressure of the lumen occurs, wherein a portion of the body that is proximal to the membrane is configured with an accordion shape comprising a first series of adjacent depressable indents formed into an inner surface of the portion of the body and a second series of adjacent depressable indents formed into an outer surface of the portion of the body, the first and second series of adjacent depressable indents configured to depress when a distal force is applied to the proximal terminal end of the body, the first series of adjacent depressable indents being parallel to the second series of adjacent depressable indents, the proximal lumen opening comprising an elastomeric material configured to form a seal against a human finger when the human finger is pressed against the proximal terminal end of the body to apply the distal force to collapse the portion of the body towards the membrane, formation of the seal combined with collapsing of the portion of the body causing the change in the internal pressure of the lumen thereby causing the blood to be expelled from the fluid chamber, the seal sealing the proximal lumen opening.

9. The vent plug of claim 8 , wherein the distal lumen opening has an inner perimeter equal to or less than 2.0 mm.

10. The vent plug of claim 8 , wherein the distal lumen opening is circular and has a diameter between 0.1 mm to 0.6 mm.

11. The vent plug of claim 8 , wherein the distal lumen opening is circular and has a diameter between 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.

12. The vent plug of claim 8 , wherein the fluid chamber has a volume of at least 0.1 mL.

13. A method for collecting a blood sample using a vent plug, the method comprising:
collecting blood within the vent plug disposed within a port of an intravenous infusion therapy system, the vent plug comprising:
a body having a distal terminal end, a proximal terminal end, and a lumen extending from the distal terminal end to the proximal terminal end to form a distal lumen opening at the distal terminal end and a proximal lumen opening at the proximal terminal end;
a membrane having an inner surface and an outer surface, the membrane being disposed at the proximal terminal end of the body and continuously across an entire width of the proximal lumen opening of the lumen, the membrane configured to prevent passage of the blood through the membrane, the membrane being hydrophobic and air permeable, the membrane coupled to the proximal terminal end of the body, the membrane comprising a depressable exposed portion that is biased to bulge proximally out from the proximal lumen opening such that a portion of the inner surface of the membrane is positioned proximal to the proximal lumen opening; and
a fluid chamber formed within the lumen distal the membrane for collecting the blood, the inner surface of the membrane forming a wall of the fluid chamber such that a portion of the fluid chamber is positioned proximal to the proximal lumen opening;

removing the vent plug from the intravenous infusion therapy system; and
expelling a volume of the blood from the vent plug by depressing the depressable exposed portion into a depressed position thereby reducing the volume of the blood.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a portion of the outer surface of the membrane is coupled to the proximal terminal end of the body and extends distally into the lumen and couples to a surface of the lumen.

Assignees

• Peterson Bart D
• Davis Bryan G
• Mckinnon Austin Jason
• Becton Dickinson Co

Inventors

• Peterson Bart D
• Davis Bryan G
• Mckinnon Austin Jason

Classifications

• A61B5/150503 Primary

  Single-ended needles (hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396) · CPC title

• A61B5/150213

  Venting means · CPC title

• A61B5/15003

  for venous or arterial blood · CPC title

• A61B5/15074

  Needle sets comprising wings, e.g. butterfly type, for ease of handling · CPC title

• A61B5/15

  Devices for taking samples of blood · CPC title