BLOOD SAMPLE OPTIMIZATION DEVICE
Blood sample optimization systems and methods are described that reduce or eliminate contaminates in collected blood samples, which in turn reduces or eliminates false positive readings in blood cultures or other testing of collected blood samples. A blood sample optimization system can include a blood sequestration device located between a patient needle and a sample needle. The blood sequestration device can include a sequestration chamber for sequestering an initial, potentially contaminated aliquot of blood, and may further include a sampling channel that bypasses the sequestration chamber to convey likely uncontaminated blood between the patient needle and the sample needle after the initial aliquot of blood is sequestered in the sequestration chamber.
1 . A device comprising:
an inlet port for receiving a blood sample;
an outlet port;
a chamber connected with the inlet port and configured to collect a first portion of the blood sample when under a drawing force applied from the outlet port from a blood sample collection device;
a sampling channel connected with the inlet port and configured to convey a subsequent portion of the blood sample to the outlet port; and
a valve configured to initially close off the sampling channel from the inlet and to open in response to a force on the valve, the opening allowing the subsequent portion of the blood sample to flow through the sampling channel.
2 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a blood impermeable membrane is configured to facilitate the chamber collecting the first portion of the blood sample.
3 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a blood impermeable membrane causes the first portion of the blood sample to back up into the chamber following application of the drawing force applied from the outlet port.
4 . The device in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising a housing, separate from the blood impermeable membrane.
5 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the device is configured such that, when the drawing force is applied at the outlet port, the first portion of the blood sample is drawn into the chamber to contact a material that is blood impermeable.
6 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured to initially close off the sampling channel until the first portion of the blood sample is in the chamber.
7 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured to initially close off the sampling channel until the first portion of the blood sample is in the chamber and is further configured such that, upon release, follow-on amounts of the blood sample will bypass the chamber and flow through the sampling channel toward the outlet port.
8 . The device in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the valve is configured to pinch, shunt, bend or otherwise close off the sampling channel before the first portion of the blood sample is collected in the chamber.
9 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a patient needle and the blood sample collection device.
10 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , the chamber having a volume sufficient to collect the first portion of the blood sample that is more prone to contamination and also to minimize an amount of blood to be sequestered.
11 . The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the chamber has a volume of less than 1.5 cubic centimeters.
12 . A blood diversion device comprising:
an inlet configured to receive an initial specimen of potentially contaminated blood from vascular access of a patient;
an outlet configured to provide a subsequent specimen from the patient;
a diversion chamber in communication with both the inlet and the outlet and configured to be under a negative pressure created when an evacuated blood culture bottle is attached to the outlet, where an initial path of least resistance for the potentially contaminated blood is into the diversion chamber; and
a secondary pathway also in communication with the inlet and the outlet, the secondary pathway containing a valve that is initially closed when the initial specimen is flowing into the diversion chamber and is configured to open after the diversion chamber achieves receiving a predetermined volume of the initial specimen, the opening of the valve allowing a subsequent blood specimen to flow through the secondary pathway to the outlet.
13 . The blood diversion device of claim 12 , wherein the device is configured with an inflow direction of the blood through the inlet being more directly inline with an entrance to the diversion chamber than with a secondary entrance to the secondary pathway, the configuration facilitating the initial path of least resistance.
14 . The blood diversion device of claim 13 , wherein the entrance to the diversion chamber has a cross-sectional area that is larger than a cross-sectional area of a secondary entrance to the secondary pathway, the cross-sectional areas facilitating the initial path of least resistance.
15 . The blood diversion device of claim 12 , the diversion chamber comprising a channel with a tortuous pathway containing at least one curve.
16 . The blood diversion device of claim 15 , wherein the tortuous pathway includes at least one approximately circular portion.
17 . The blood diversion device of claim 12 , wherein the valve is a one-way valve.
18 . The blood diversion device of claim 12 , wherein the diversion chamber includes a multi-level curved pathway where a first portion of the diversion chamber is disposed over a second portion of the diversion chamber.