JPH11258247A - Method and apparatus and system for transferring blood collection tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce clogging of fibrin when a blood serum is separated and lessen a quantity of the blood serum remaining in a blood collection tube without being effectively utilized which is caused by the clogging. SOLUTION: While a blood collection tube 12 in which a blood is injected and sealed is rotated in a circumferential direction with an axis direction kept horizontal or slantwise, the tube is transferred to, e.g. a centrifugal separation process. A coagulation accelerator for the blood adheres to an inner circumferential face of the blood collection tube 12 and is sufficiently brought in contact with the blood by the rotation of the collection tube 12 during the transfer. A large quantity of the coagulation accelerator is dissolved in the blood. As a result, coagulation of the blood is promoted, thereby reducing clogging of fibrin when a blood serum is separated by a pipette or the like. A quantity of the blood serum remaining in the blood collection tube 12 without being effectively utilized which is caused by the clogging is lessened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a blood collection tube for transferring a blood collection tube into which blood has been collected, to a centrifugation step provided with a centrifuge for separating components required for the test from the blood. The present invention relates to a blood vessel transfer method and apparatus, and a blood collection tube transfer system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Before performing various blood tests, blood in a blood collection tube is separated into a serum and a clot by a centrifugal separator, and only the serum, which is the supernatant, is collected. A pre-treatment of dispensing into an inspection container has been performed. In recent years, vacuum blood collection tubes previously sealed with a rubber lid have been developed to prevent infection of workers due to blood contact, and these have been used in various medical sites. This vacuum blood collection tube is generally used as a unit product of a cylinder-shaped plastic holder of a syringe and an injection needle screwed to the plastic holder. That is, at the time of blood collection, an injection needle is first screwed into a plastic holder of the blood collection unit, then the needle tip of the injection needle is pierced into a blood vessel of a patient (blood collection subject), and then the injection needle protruding into the holder. Strongly press the rubber lid of the vacuum blood collection tube against the base of the needle, and pierce the needle base into the blood collection tube. Thus, blood is sucked into the tube by the vacuum force of the vacuum blood collection tube.

Here, a general procedure of a general blood test in a hospital provided with such a blood test facility will be described. First, a patient writes a patient's name or the like on an identification label in advance at a blood collection site, and affixes this to a vacuum blood collection tube. Then, blood is sampled from a patient into a blood collection tube using the blood collection unit. Usually 10-20
When the blood collection tube for a person is collected, a nurse or the like carries the blood collection room equipped with a centrifuge while standing in a bucket type test tube stand. That is, the blood collection tube after blood collection is 20 to
After being left for 30 minutes, it is transported to the inspection room, and is always kept almost upright until it is centrifuged.
In addition, a blood coagulation promoter is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the vacuum blood collection tube so that fibrin, a floating foreign substance, is not easily generated in serum after centrifugation. Thereafter, the blood in the blood collection tube is centrifuged by a centrifuge into a clot and serum as a supernatant. The serum is dispensed into a plurality of different test tubes using a pipette or the like.

[0004]

By the way, there is a case where the fibrin is suspended in the serum separated by centrifugation. The fibrin causes clogging of pipettes when dispensing and dispensing serum into a plurality of different test tubes using a pipette or the like. In the recently developed automatic sample pretreatment transport system, an optical sensor detects the height of the interface between the serum separating agent and the serum, and based on this, automatically raises and lowers the pipette-shaped dispensing tip. Then, the serum in the blood collection tube is collected. At this time, clogging of the dispensing / dispensing tip due to suction of fibrin is likely to occur. Therefore, usually, in order to avoid this trouble, there is a problem that the amount of serum remaining without being effectively used in the blood collection tube becomes relatively large.

[0005] Therefore, the present inventors have taken the viewpoint that it is effective to sufficiently dissolve a coagulation promoter in blood to suppress fibrin. In other words, after the blood collection, the blood collection tube, which was almost upright and stationary until the blood collection tube was transported to the centrifugation step, was transported while being turned sideways and rotated in the circumferential direction. Enhances the dissolution of procoagulants into the medium, reduces fibrin formation during centrifugation, and reduces the amount of fibrin clogged in pipettes or dispensing tips and the amount of serum that remains in blood collection tubes without being effectively utilized They have found that they can do this, and have completed the present invention.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention can reduce fibrin clogging at the time of fractionation and reduce the amount of serum that remains in blood collection tubes without being effectively used due to this clogging. To provide a blood collection tube transportation method and apparatus thereof and a blood collection tube transportation system,
With that purpose. It is another object of the present invention to provide a blood collection tube transport device that can reliably and rotationally transport a blood collection tube at a relatively low cost. A further object of the present invention is to provide a blood collection tube transport system that can automatically label a blood collection tube with data on a blood collection target at the time of blood collection. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a blood collection tube transport system that can put a label on a blood collection tube into practical use relatively easily and at low cost.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blood collection tube having a blood coagulation promoting agent adhered to an inner peripheral surface thereof.
This is a blood collection tube transport method in which the collected blood is injected and sealed, and then the blood collection tube is transported while rotating in the circumferential direction with the tube axis direction being horizontal or oblique. The blood collection tube here includes not only a vacuum blood collection tube sealed in advance with a rubber lid, but also a general test tube for closing the lid after blood collection. Therefore, the type, size, shape, material, and the like of the container that can handle blood are not limited.
Examples of the blood coagulation promoter attached to the inner peripheral surface of the blood collection tube include those manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.
The destination of the blood collection tube is usually a centrifugation step provided with a centrifuge. Further, the range of the rotational transfer of the blood collection tube is not limited to the entire length of the transfer distance, but may be a part thereof.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a blood coagulation promoter is adhered to the inner peripheral surface, and the collected blood is injected and injected.
A blood collection tube rotating / transporting device that transports a sealed blood collection tube while rotating the tube in the circumferential direction, with the tube axis direction being horizontal or oblique, and a driving device for the blood collection tube rotating / transporting device. It is. As the blood collection tube rotating and conveying means,
For example, the present invention is not limited to the one having a plurality of spiral rollers in which the roller axis directions are arranged in parallel as in claim 3. In short, the mechanism is not limited as long as it can transport blood while rotating the sealed blood collection tube. The tube axis direction during transportation of the blood collection tube may be horizontal or oblique. In the case of a slant, the angle of the slant is not limited.
As the driving means of the blood collection tube rotating / transporting means, for example, various actuators can be employed in addition to the electric motor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the blood collection tube rotating / conveying means has a plurality of spiral rollers in which spiral grooves or spiral ridges are formed on each outer peripheral surface, and the roller axes are parallel to each other. A blood collection tube transport device according to claim 2. The number of spiral rollers may be two, three, four, five or more.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card reader for reading an identification card on which an identification number of a blood-collected person is recorded, and the identification number read by the card reader is automatically printed on a label, and then the label is read. An autolabeler that is attached to a blood collection tube having a blood coagulation promoter attached to the inner peripheral surface thereof, and a blood collection tube to which the above-described label is attached and into which the collected blood is injected and sealed, and the tube axis This is a blood collection tube transport system including a blood collection tube rotating / transporting unit that transports while rotating in the circumferential direction while keeping the direction horizontal or oblique, and a driving unit for the blood collection tube rotating / transporting unit.

As the identification card mentioned here, for example, an optical card other than the IC card or the magnetic card described in claim 5 can be adopted. The card reader is not limited as long as it can read the identification number recorded on the target identification card according to the type of the identification card. For example, a reader / writer of an IC card or a magnetic reader can be employed. As an auto-labeler, based on the identification number read by the card reader, pre-registered information of the blood-collected person is printed on a label, and then this label is attached to a blood collection tube set at a predetermined position. It is not limited.

The invention according to claim 5 is the blood collection tube transport system according to claim 4, wherein the identification card is an IC card or a magnetic card. As the IC card and the magnetic card, commercially available existing cards can be used.

[0013]

According to the present invention, for example, centrifugation is performed while rotating the blood collection tube into which blood has been injected and sealed in the circumferential direction with the tube axis direction being horizontal or oblique. It is transported to the centrifugation step (blood test room) in which the separator is provided. At this time, since the blood coagulation accelerator has adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the blood collection tube, the blood collection tube rotates during transportation, so that the blood and the coagulation accelerator come into sufficient contact. Therefore, a large amount of the coagulation accelerator dissolves into the blood as compared with the conventional case where the blood collection tube is set up and transported almost stationary. Thereby, blood coagulation is favorably promoted. As a result, it is possible to reduce fibrin clogging during serum collection using a pipette or the like. In addition, the amount of serum remaining in the blood collection tube without being effectively used due to the clogging can be reduced.

In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of spiral rollers parallel to each other of the blood collection tube rotating and conveying means are rotated in the circumferential direction, a spiral groove or a spiral formed on each outer peripheral surface is formed. The blood collection tube caught on the ridge moves while rotating in the circumferential direction. Thus, the blood collection tube can be relatively reliably and inexpensively rotated and transported in a predetermined direction.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the identification card on which the identification number of the blood sample is recorded is read by the card reader. Next, the read identification number is automatically printed with a label using an auto-labeler, and then the printed label is attached to a blood collection tube. At this time, the blood collection tube may be one before the blood is injected and sealed, or one after the blood is injected and sealed. Then, the blood collection tube into which the blood has been injected and sealed is moved to a predetermined place while rotating the blood collection tube in the circumferential direction while keeping the tube axis direction horizontal or oblique by using the blood collection tube rotating and conveying means driven by the driving means. And convey.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 5,
By using an IC card or a magnetic card on the market as the identification card, the label display on the blood collection tube according to claim 4 can be put to practical use relatively easily and at low cost.

[0017]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blood collection tube transportation method and apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show an embodiment of a blood collection tube transfer method and apparatus according to the present invention, and a blood collection tube transfer system. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a blood collection tube transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a blood collection tube rotating / transporting unit provided in the blood collection tube transportation system. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing another blood collection tube rotating and conveying means. FIG.
It is a principal part enlarged perspective view which shows another blood collection tube rotation conveyance means.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a blood collection tube transport system according to one embodiment. The blood collection tube transport system 10 is disposed on one side of a pair of blood collection tables 16 at a blood collection stage, and is connected to a patient ( A card reader 11 for reading an identification card of an IC card or a magnetic card on which the identification number of the blood recipient) is recorded, and the identification number read by each card reader 11 is automatically printed on a label. A pair of auto-labelers 13 attached to the outer peripheral surface of a blood collection tube 12 having a blood coagulation promoter attached to the peripheral surface thereof;
The blood collection tube rotation, which is disposed on the other side of the blood collection tube and conveys the blood collection tube 12 to which the label is affixed and into which blood has been injected and sealed, while rotating in the circumferential direction while keeping the tube axis direction horizontal or oblique. Conveying means 14 and respective blood collection tube rotating / conveying means 1
And an electric motor (drive means) 15 for driving the motor 4.

The blood collection tube 12 is a vacuum blood collection tube, and a coagulation accelerator attached to the inner peripheral surface thereof is manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. The blood collection tube 12
Is used together with a plastic holder (not shown), which is another component of the blood collection unit described above, and an injection needle. Behind each blood sampling table 16 is a nurse. An auto-labeler 13 is provided behind each card reader 11.

The blood collection tube rotating / transporting means 14 has a long pedestal 17 disposed on the other side of the blood collection table 16 and extending in the front-rear direction of the blood collection table 16. On each mount 17,
A spiral groove 18a is formed on each outer peripheral surface, and two long spiral rollers 18 whose roller axis directions are parallel to each other and whose rotation directions are the same are provided. The blood collection tube 12 is conveyed between the rotating helical rollers 18 while rotating in the circumferential direction while lying down while the edge of the rubber stopper 12a of the blood collection tube 12 is hooked on the spiral groove 18a (FIG. 2). See also).

As shown in FIG. 3, the spiral roller 1 is inserted into a long conveying gutter 23 having a U-shaped cross section, the upper surface of which is an opening.
8 is accommodated in one spiral groove 18a by the electric motor 15.
By rotating the blood collection tube 12, the spiral roller 18
It may be conveyed while rotating in the circumferential direction while being placed between the transfer gutter 23 and the side plate of the conveyance gutter 23. In this manner, only one relatively expensive spiral roller 18 is required, and the width of the conveying path of the blood collection tube 12 is shortened, so that the arrangement space of the drawing path of the blood collection tube 12 can be made compact. it can. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, while the blood collection tube 12 is transferred by the belt conveyor 30, the blood collection tube 12 being transferred is transferred by the spiral rollers 18 arranged on both sides of the blood collection tube transfer path of the belt conveyor 30. You may comprise so that it may rotate. In this case, each spiral roller 18 has its rotation axis parallel to the transport direction of the belt conveyor 30, and the interval between the spiral rollers 18 makes the rubber stopper 12a of the blood collection tube 12 lightly contact the peripheral surface of each roller. Must be kept in mind. With this configuration,
For example, the transport speed and the rotation speed of the blood collection tube 12 can be easily changed to suitable numerical values according to the transport distance and the transport time.

Returning to FIG. 1, each blood collection tube rotating and conveying means 14
Are connected to respective upstream portions of a belt conveyor 19 set in a substantially U-shape in plan view. In the middle part of the downstream part of the belt conveyor 19, another belt conveyor 2 extending to a blood test room provided with a centrifuge (not shown) is provided.
0 are connected in an orthogonal state. In addition, both conveyors 1
The movement of the blood collection tube 12 between 9 and 20 is performed by a pickup by the transfer device 21. In the blood collection tube transport system 10 thus configured, the blood collection tube rotating / transporting means 14
And the electric motor 15 as the driving means constitute the blood collection tube transport device 22.

Next, a method of transferring a blood collection tube using the blood collection tube transfer system 10 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, when the patient comes to the blood collection table 16 at the blood collection stage, first, the user passes the identification card brought to the card reader 11 before blood collection. Thereby, while the patient and the nurse are preparing for blood collection, label printing is performed by the auto-labeler 13. Thereafter, the nurse stabs the injection needle attached to the plastic holder into the blood vessel of the patient's arm, and then pushes the blood collection tube 12 to the base of the injection needle, and removes the blood flowing through the blood vessel by the vacuum force of the blood collection tube 12. , Sampled into the blood collection tube 12. The blood collection tube 12 from which blood has been collected is placed horizontally between the upstream portions of a pair of spiral rollers 18 arranged in parallel on the other side of the blood collection table 16. Then, each spiral roller 18 is rotated in the same direction by the electric motor 15, and as a result, the edge of the rubber plug 12a is caught in each spiral groove 18a, and in this state, the blood collection tube 12 is conveyed while rotating in the circumferential direction. You.

At this time, since the blood coagulation promoter is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the blood collection tube 12, the blood collection tube 12 rotates during transportation, so that the blood and the coagulation promoter are sufficiently absorbed. Contact. Therefore, a large amount of the coagulation accelerator dissolves into the blood as compared with the case where the conventional blood collection tube is set up and conveyed almost stationary. As a result, blood coagulation is favorably promoted. Therefore, after centrifugation, fibrin clogging of the pipette or the like can be reduced during serum collection using the pipette or the like. In addition, the amount of serum remaining in the blood collection tube 12 without being effectively used due to the clogging can be reduced. The blood collection tube 12 carried out from between the downstream ends of the spiral roller 18 moves to the belt conveyor 19 while being sideways, and is conveyed. On the way, transfer device 2
1 and is transferred to the belt conveyor 20. And it is conveyed to the blood test room where the centrifuge was arranged.

As described above, as the blood collection tube rotating / transporting means 14, the one having the spiral groove 18a formed on each outer peripheral surface and having two spiral rollers 18 whose roller axial directions are parallel to each other is adopted. When the spiral roller 18 is rotated in the circumferential direction, the blood collection tube 12 moves while rotating in the circumferential direction while being caught in the spiral groove 18a formed on each outer peripheral surface. This ensures that the blood collection tube 12 is relatively inexpensive and reliable.
Can be rotated and conveyed.

Further, the identification card on which the identification number of the patient is recorded is read by the card reader 11, and then the identification number is automatically printed on a label by the auto labeler 13.
Then, after attaching this label to the outer peripheral surface of the blood collection tube 12, the blood collection tube rotating and transporting means 14 conveys the blood collection tube 12 while rotating it. It can be displayed on the blood vessel 12 and transported by rotation. Further, since an IC card or a magnetic card on the market is adopted as the identification card, labeling on the blood collection tube 12 can be put to practical use relatively easily and at low cost.

[0027]

According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the blood collection tube is transported while rotating in the circumferential direction while the blood collection tube is lying down. The coagulation accelerator attached to the inner peripheral surface of the
The procoagulant can be dissolved in the blood in a relatively large amount. As a result, coagulation of blood is favorably promoted, and fibrin clogging during serum collection can be reduced. In addition, the amount of serum remaining in the blood collection tube without being effectively used due to the clogging can be reduced.

In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, as the blood collection tube rotating / transporting means, a means having a plurality of parallel spiral rollers having spiral grooves or spiral ridges formed on the outer peripheral surface is employed. Therefore, the blood collection tube can be rotatably transported relatively inexpensively and reliably.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the card reader of the identification card on which the identification number of the blood-collected person is recorded, and after automatically printing the identification number on the label, the label is collected on the blood collection tube. Since the apparatus includes an auto-labeler attached to a blood collection tube, a blood collection tube rotating / transporting unit, and a driving unit therefor, it is possible to automatically carry out rotation on a blood collection tube in which data on a blood-collected person is automatically displayed as a label at the time of blood collection.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 5,
Since an IC card or a magnetic card on the market is adopted as the identification card, labeling on a blood collection tube can be put to practical use relatively easily and at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a blood collection tube transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of a blood collection tube rotating / transporting unit provided in the blood collection tube transportation system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing another blood collection tube rotating and conveying means according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing still another blood collection tube rotating and conveying means according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 blood collection tube transport system, 11 card reader, 12 blood collection tube, 13 auto-veraber, 14 blood collection tube rotating / conveying means, 15 electric motor (drive means), 18 spiral roller, 18a spiral groove, 22 blood collection tube transportation device.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A blood collection tube having a blood coagulation promoting agent attached to an inner peripheral surface thereof, injecting the collected blood and sealing it,
This blood collection tube, the tube axis direction is horizontal or oblique,
A blood collection tube transport method that transports while rotating in the circumferential direction. 2. A blood coagulation promoter is attached to the inner peripheral surface,
And a blood collection tube rotating / transporting means for conveying the blood collection tube into which the collected blood is injected / sealed, with the tube axis direction being horizontal or oblique while rotating in the circumferential direction, and a driving means for the blood collection tube rotating / transporting means A blood collection tube transport device comprising: 3. The blood collection tube rotating / transporting means has a plurality of spiral rollers, each of which has a spiral groove or a spiral ridge formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof and whose roller axial directions are parallel to each other.
4. The blood collection tube transport device according to 4. 4. A card reader for reading an identification card on which an identification number of a blood-collected person is recorded, and after automatically printing the identification number read by the card reader on a label, the label is placed on the inner peripheral surface. An autolabeler to be attached to a blood collection tube to which a coagulation accelerator is attached, and a blood collection tube to which the above-mentioned label is affixed and in which the collected blood is injected and sealed, the tube axis direction of which is horizontal or oblique. A blood collection tube transport system comprising: a blood collection tube rotating / transporting unit that transports while rotating in the circumferential direction; 5. The blood collection tube transport system according to claim 4, wherein the identification card is an IC card or a magnetic card.