Nobody enjoys getting their blood drawn. It might be painless and quick for some but there are times that waiting in lines can take hours along with rare instances where the nurse drawing blood has to poke several times before finding a vein to draw from. If the latter has ever happened to you then fear no more.
The tasso company in the United States have developed a device known as Hemolink that will replace painful needles to make blood testing easy and much more convenient. The ice cube sized device allows
patients to self-administer a blood test in as little as 2 minutes.
The device does not require puncturing the skin into a blood vein and can be used by simply placing the device against the skin to creates a vacuum effect causing blood to be pulled blood via microscopic capillaries. The Hemolink device is disposable and is made up of only six molded parts made of plastic which will also simplify the manufacturing process while cuttings costs. The device is currently designed to extract about .15 cubic cm of blood which is enough for most lab panels including: blood sugar tests, cancer cell tests, cholesterol tests and infection markers.
Current blood tests are also cumbersome as they need to be stored at specific temperatures in a process known as “cold-chain.” This means that each step of the blood sampling must also be regulated to ensure the blood samples all stay at the same temperature to allow for correct results.
The new Hemolink device will permit users to store blood samples for up to 7 days at maximum temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This user-friendly device will enable almost anyone to take and send blood samples in to a lab for analysis without the need of dry ice rush-deliveries.
The most likely users will be people who need to test semi-frequently to monitor active cancers,Autoimmune diseases like ulcerative colitis, Diabetes 2, or vascular conditions like heart disease. The low cost device will help replace expensive machines and additional staff as the tests are 100% non-invasive and can be performed in the comforts on the home environment.