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New Sampling Device Promises To Make Blood Tests Needle-Free

Posted by timothy on from the dracula's-little-friend dept.

Zothecula writes: Though the pain they cause is minor and fleeting, a lot of people still find something pretty unsettling about needles. When it comes to conducting a routine blood test, US-based company Tasso Inc. believes that these unpleasant pricks can be removed from the equation completely. Its ping pong ball-sized HemoLink blood sampler can be operated by the patient at home, and needs only to be placed against the skin of the arm or abdomen for two minutes to do its job.

34 comments

  1. Old Idea by cheesybagel · · Score: 3, Informative

    There are plenty of devices which draw blood or fluids via suction. One example is the GlucoWatch:
    http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevi...

    The problem with these devices is that they often cause skin lesions, bruising, and pain. I would rather stick with the needles.

    1. Re:Old Idea by Anubis+IV · · Score: 3, Informative

      In the case of GlucoWatch, the page you linked indicates that it's used for up to 13 hours at a time, taking samples every 10 minutes. In contrast, this device can only do one sample at a time, after which you send it off to a lab for testing. They're targeting patients who may need to monitor cancer or infection on an infrequent basis with a turnaround of a few days, as opposed to people who need immediate blood measurements, such as diabetics monitoring their blood sugar levels.

      I don't know enough to suggest that that addresses your concern, but at the very least it would seem to lessen the chances that the problems associated with long-term use would occur.

    2. Re:Old Idea by DigiShaman · · Score: 0

      Well yes, effectively this is a high tech form of cupping; a technique used in Chinese medicine to extract "bad blood" and other toxins to the surface. It's an act of homeopathy FYI. Only this device test blood once exposed.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    3. Re:Old Idea by lisaparratt · · Score: 2

      People actually use them medicinally? I always assumed it was BDSM masquerading under semi-legitimacy.

    4. Re:Old Idea by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Funny

      Google images of "Chinese cupping". Now you know. Yes, it's work-safe.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    5. Re:Old Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Cupping is not at all a part of homeopathy. Their relationship only exists in that the people who swallow one of the two types of nonsense are more likely than the average person to buy into the other.

    6. Re:Old Idea by TheCarp · · Score: 2

      You know its always a little of collumn A and a little of collumn B with such things. I am certain some people think they are using them medicinally, and there are always going to be a few people out there claiming the treatment they offer is medicinal and "removes toxins" (I still find it odd there are people who don't realize the word "toxin" is a red flag in most contexts)

      OTOH I know people who have played with this from more the BDSM side, they definitely exist but, don't tend to feel much need to pretend its medical...tho maybe some use that excuse around people who they feel would react better to thinking they are stupid than know what they do in their bedroom. Again....a little A, a little B.....

      --
      "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
    7. Re:Old Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe work-safe, but I'm not so sure that it's stomach-safe...

    8. Re:Old Idea by davester666 · · Score: 1

      You won't believe where they originally wanted you to put the 'ping-pong ball' sized object...

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  2. Unpleasant pricks? by amalcolm · · Score: 2

    I know lots of those :(

    --
    Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
    1. Re:Unpleasant pricks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like one!

  3. speak for yourself by HBI · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The whole design of blood testers for glucose militates using them on the hands or fingers. After thousands of sticks, it hurts worse. I already have to give myself 5 needles a day for insulin in places with adipose fat layers, like the lower arm, top of thigh or my belly. Doing 5 more sticks for tests is just ...bullshit. I won't do it. Maybe once a day, if that. Give me a technology that makes it less painful and i'll use it. If I can use it on an area of my body that doesn't usually get stuck (ass cheek? side of thigh? Anywhere where there is muscle behind the skin?) the pain level will be less.

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
    1. Re:speak for yourself by jez9999 · · Score: 2

      Give me a technology that makes it less painful and i'll use it. If I can use it on an area of my body that doesn't usually get stuck (ass cheek? side of thigh? Anywhere where there is muscle behind the skin?) the pain level will be less.

      Sounds like it'd be a pain in the ass.

      --
      == Jez ==
      Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
    2. Re:speak for yourself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This device won't be a substitute for your glucose meter. It will, however, allow you to take a blood sample for an hA1c test. If you've ever tried one of the hA1c home tests, you would certainly be aware of the difficulty in producing enough blood for the test sample obtained by lancing (really, its more like spearing) your finger.

    3. Re:speak for yourself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/

  4. Me! Me! Me! I've another needle-free solution! by franzrogar · · Score: 0

    You change the needle for an axe! I call it "Axe-the-bloody-text".

    But don't copy it, it has copyright and trademark!

  5. Tricorder Xprize by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought this was going to be spinoff from one of the Tricoder Xprize teams but it's not. It's a DARPA funded startup.
    http://tricorder.xprize.org/

  6. So, it's a leech... by patniemeyer · · Score: 1

    I find the idea of drawing blood that way a lot more unsettling than a pin prick, but I guess if you have a phobia about needles...

    1. Re:So, it's a leech... by Neil+Boekend · · Score: 1

      A leech pierces the skin. This is further from a leech than a needle is.
      Also, most leeches lead with a painkiller to mask their work.

      --
      Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
  7. All in On This One by stowie · · Score: 0

    One time when my brother was giving blood, the technician, who wasn't a nurse, pushed the needle in too far and ruptured his vein. His arm turned a yellowish/green color and he needed surgery to fix the problem. We sued Red Cross and got a couple bucks outta them, so I'm all for this.

    1. Re:All in On This One by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is for blood tests, not for donating a whole unit of blood.

  8. Garbage for diabetics by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    Then this isn't for you, since once you get the sample it has to be "mailed off to a lab for analysis". You could be in a coma by the time you get the results back.

    And you can stick pretty much anywhere that can bleed with the finger stick - they're just called finger sticks out of habit. Try it.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    1. Re:Garbage for diabetics by HBI · · Score: 2

      You have to squeeze to get enough blood out if the capillaries aren't cooperating. Hard to do if it isn't a finger. Also makes a mess. Hands are easier to wash. I have enough wrecked dress shirts to know the danger.

      --
      HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
    2. Re:Garbage for diabetics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And if you use other sites the results you get can be different, so really you need to pick one part of your body and stick with it, and make sure the clinician you work with knows and agree to it.

    3. Re:Garbage for diabetics by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      The results aren't that different - try it some time. And a lot of people who got used to the original meters don't realize just how little blood you need with today's test strips and glucometers.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    4. Re:Garbage for diabetics by Neil+Boekend · · Score: 1

      Then this isn't for you, since once you get the sample it has to be "mailed off to a lab for analysis". You could be in a coma by the time you get the results back.

      The mail back to the lab version doesn't need to be the only version. Once this is approved there will probably be one with a built in glucose sensor.

      --
      Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
    5. Re:Garbage for diabetics by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      Or we could just continue the trend to develop test strips that require less and less blood for a valid sample. The finger stick isn't that big a deal as long as you don't clean the wound with alcohol - alcohol causes scarring and prevents the normal healing process from occurring, so you end up with fingers with visible marks.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  9. Hikey device by Anontroll · · Score: 1

    I would be curious to see what someone's skin looks like after this devise gets done using vacuum to draw a blood sample.

    1. Re:Hikey device by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm guessing that since this is Slashdot not many here have had the experience of getting a hickey.

  10. More unemployment by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 1

    US-based company Tasso Inc. believes that these unpleasant pricks can be removed from the equation completely.

    Then what, go sell cars?

  11. Great news by kipsate · · Score: 1

    Tasso Inc. believes that these unpleasant pricks can be removed from the equation completely

    Great. May I recommend the firing squad.

    --
    My karma ran over your dogma
  12. This could change clinics as we know them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In many clincs there's staff who only draw blood - sure they may have to interact with a computer to see what amount of blood is required and how to store it [depening on the number and types of testing required] but the main role they have is to draw blood. They're phlebotomists and they've been trained to do it properly, to make sure the patient doesn't even feel discomfort, let alone any pain [if you feel more than a slight prick or get any bruising then you should consider getting treatment elsewhere].

    But if there is a safe way for patients to do it at home, without the need of medical staff or buildings, then the need for phlebotomists will have largely gone. Imagine being given a box with a dozen of these devices and told to draw your blood and send it off once a month, it's going to be far cheaper than having it done at a clinic.

  13. Some of us have a real need for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For someone like me who is on immunosuppressants and needs regular, but not daily, blood tests this would be a boon. Saves me having to go to the hospital/doctors office for testing. Since I also get monthly IVs and have only one arm available for IV/blood draws (can't use veins in other arm) this would reduce dependency on my "sweet spot." I'd jump on this product in a minute, if I could.