Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Liquid collection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-08
2003-09-30
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Liquid collection
C606S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626851
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a blood-collection position indicator serving as a mark for allowing a blood collecting instrument or the like to be guided easily in blood collection from a finger or the like.
2. Related Background Art
Currently, as a method of measuring a blood glucose level (a glucose concentration) through blood collection at home by diabetics without requiring them to visit a medical institution, for instance, the following method has been practiced widely, in which a lancet and a simplified glucose measuring instrument are used.
The above-mentioned lancet is a disposable needle or cutting tool used for puncturing the skin of a patient, which is set in its own ejection device called a “lancet device” and then is used. Further, for example, as shown in
FIG. 23
, a simplified glucose measuring instrument
6
includes a disposable strip
61
and a meter
62
used exclusively for measuring a glucose content with the disposable strip
61
being set therein. The disposable strip
61
has a specimen supply section and a reagent section containing glucose oxidase or the like that reacts specifically with glucose contained in a specimen. Generally, the strip
61
has a capillary structure so as to allow a supplied specimen to be transported.
Using the lancet and the measuring instrument, for instance, glucose can be measured as follows. Initially, the lancet is set inside a lancet device, and a tip of the lancet device is brought close to a skin surface. Then, the lancet thus set is ejected to puncture the skin and blood is squeezed out from the punctured site to form a blood “pool”. Then, when the tip of the strip
61
of the measuring instrument
6
is brought into contact with the blood in the punctured site, the strip
61
absorbs the blood by a capillary phenomenon and transports it to the reagent section. In the reagent section, glucose in the blood and the reagent start to react with each other. After the glucose and the reagent are allowed to react with each other for a certain period, the meter
62
detects the reaction product of them and converts it into a glucose concentration, which then is displayed on a monitor.
However, for diabetics having total blindness or weak eyesight because of complication of diabetes, patients who cannot carry out fine manual operations, or the like, for instance, it is difficult to bring the tip of the strip
61
into contact with the blood in the punctured site punctured with a lancet or to carry out the aforementioned series of operations alone.
In order to solve such problems, for example, JP 10-295675 A discloses a finger band for blood collection provided with a blood collection hole and a retaining part for holding a finger. When this finger band is used, the blood collection hole functions as a guide for a blood-collecting needle. Therefore, it is easy to bring the blood-collecting needle into contact with a target position on the skin using the sense of touch. In addition, blood can be dropped from the blood collection hole directly on a diagnostic device.
However, such a finger band has a difficulty in being attached to or detached from the punctured site. It has been required to puncture the skin more easily and to provide blood for a measuring device such as the simplified glucose measuring instrument easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention at least in its preferred embodiments is intended to provide a blood-collection position indicator serving as a mark for a punctured site on the skin and allowing blood to be collected from the punctured site easily.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventors found the following two blood-collection position indicators.
A first blood-collection position indicator of the present invention includes an adhesive portion to be stuck to skin, an attachment part, into which a tip of a lancet device including a lancet is attached, and a blood collection hole, wherein the blood-collection position indicator is attached to the tip of the lancet device in a state where the lancet is arranged to pass through the blood collection hole before the lancet device is used, and wherein the adhesive strength of the adhesive portion to the skin is stronger than the attachment strength of the attachment part to the tip of the lancet device, whereby in use, the blood-collection position indicator adheres to and remains on the skin after the lancet device is used.
When using such a first blood-collection position indicator, a patient can recognize a punctured site on the skin through the blood-collection position indicator by the sense of touch without relying on the visual sense. The patient can bring the tip of a strip in the aforementioned measuring instrument into contact with blood in the blood collection hole of the blood-collection position indicator, thus collecting blood easily. In addition, as described above, it is not necessary to position a member having a guide function on a finger or the like before the blood collection and to bring a lancet close to the finger after recognizing the member. Therefore, the operation can be carried out more easily and quickly. Furthermore, since the blood-collection position indicator can be fixed to the skin without using such a band as described above, the blood collection site is not limited. Consequently, when the first blood-collection position indicator of the present invention is used, for example, even patients with visual handicap or the like can collect blood easily, and it also is possible to collect blood easily from a site such as an ear or the like, which is difficult to be recognized by the patient himself. Thus, the first blood-collection position indicator is useful for blood collection for diagnosis in clinical medicine and particularly for self-diagnosis at home.
The following examples are preferable as the configuration of the attachment part.
For instance, in the case of a blood-collection position indicator in which the blood collection hole serves as the attachment part, the tip of the lancet device may be inserted into the blood collection hole, thus attaching the blood-collection position indicator to the tip of the lancet device. In the case of a blood-collection position indicator having a protruding portion as the attachment part, the protruding portion may be inserted into a hole of the tip of the lancet device, thus attaching the blood-collection position indicator to the tip of the lancet device. In addition, in the case of a blood-collection position indicator having a cylindrical shape with a bottom, it is preferable that its inner space (hereinafter also referred to as a “concave portion”) serves as the attachment part, the tip of a lancet device is inserted into the concave portion, thus attaching the blood-collection position indicator to the tip of the lancet device, the bottom is provided with a through hole serving as the blood collection hole, and an outer bottom face of the bottom is provided with the adhesive portion. In the specification, the “cylindrical shape” of the cylindrical shape with a bottom is not limited to one with a circular planar shape and may be one whose planar shape is rectangular, polygonal, or the like.
Preferably, an inner circumferential face of a cylindrical portion with the cylindrical shape with a bottom has at least one groove along a depth direction, a part of a peripheral surface of the tip of the lancet device is brought into contact with and is pressed against a portion except for the groove of the inner circumferential face, thus attaching the blood-collection position indicator to the tip of the lancet device in a pressure contact state, and the part being in contact with and being pressed against the portion is movable to be positioned in the groove, thus releasing the pressure contact state.
Preferably, the tip of the lancet device has a rectangular shape. It is preferable that the blood-collection position indicator has the following configuration. For example, the inner
Hirao Etsuo
Sato Yoshiharu
Tsujii Takashi
Arkray Inc.
Fastovsky L
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Walberg Teresa
LandOfFree
Blood-collection position indicator does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Blood-collection position indicator, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Blood-collection position indicator will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3058969