Diagnostic blood testing is the most ubiquitous clinical procedure in the US, with over 1 billion tests performed annually. The traditional method of blood testing involves performing a venipuncture, transporting samples to a centralized lab, analyzing the samples using large benchtop instruments, and relaying the results to the clinician. This is a labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive process, and unexpected delays often arise due either to difficulties in performing the venipuncture or the time needed to transport and analyze the sample. Particularly in the hospital emergency department (ED), rapid changes in a patient's condition necessitate immediate response, and thus delays can be life threatening. Point of care (PoC) blood testing has emerged as a way to potentially reduce turnaround times, and several devices based on capillary blood draws have achieved commercial translation. However, in comparison to centralized testing, the quantity of available assays remains limited for existing PoC testing, and the accuracy of results obtained with capillary blood remains controversial. Venous blood draws via a venipuncture allows for the collection of a larger volume of blood, yielding more dependable results as the specimen comes directly from the circulation. However to date, no fully automated venous access devices are available, either as independent units, or coupled with POC testing platforms. To address these current limitations, our group is developing a portable, automated device that performs venipuncture and provides quantitative diagnostic results in 15 to 30 minutes at the point of patient care. The portable device will operate by imaging a patient's veins, autonomously introducing a needle into a selected vein, drawing blood into microfluidics chips, and performing on-board blood analysis via an integrated optical imaging platform. A single device will be able to support the throughput of most emergency departments; in this way, the proposed device would serve as an all-in-one portable STAT lab for rapid, automated emergency diagnostics. Outside of emergency medicine, the device could furthermore have strong impact in areas such as ambulatory and outpatient facilities, pediatric and geriatric care, as well as military use.
Our group aims to develop a portable, automated device for rapid venous blood draws and point-of-care diagnostic analysis. The portable device will operate by imaging a patient's veins, autonomously introducing a needle into a selected vein, drawing blood into microfluidics chips, and performing on-board blood analysis via an integrated optical detection platform. Once translated, this technology will have the potential for impact in number of arenas, including pediatric, geriatric, emergency, and military use. The integrative solution will be particularly suited for infant and neonatal applications, where difficult venipuncture and low blood volume requirements greatly challenge the safety and quality of care. Furthermore, the core technological advancements will interest a spectrum of research disciplines, including hematology and diagnostic medicine, BioMEMS and microfluidics, optics, and medical robotics.
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