Dried blood spot collection device

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for dried blood spot (DBS) sample collection are disclosed. A dried blood spot sampling device is configured to deliver blood through a passage to an absorbent disk in the device and control an amount of blood saturating the absorbent disk. The sampling device may include a manually actuatable component adjustable between a first position, in which an outlet of the passage is not in physical contact with the absorbent disk, and a second position, in which the outlet of the passage is in physical contact with the absorbent disk.

1 . A dried blood spot collection device, comprising:
 a body defining an inlet of a passage extending from an exterior of the body to an outlet in an interior cavity of the body;   a platform coupled to the body within the interior cavity, the platform holding an absorbent disk in a fixed position on a region of the platform, wherein a central axis of the passage is normal to the platform and intersects the center of the region of the platform;   a manually actuatable component mounted in the body, the manually actuatable component adjustable between a first position and a second position relative to the body, wherein:   in the first position, when an absorbent disk is mounted in the fixed position on the platform, the outlet is not in physical contact with the absorbent disk, and   in the second position, when an absorbent disk is mounted in the fixed position on the platform, the outlet is in physical contact with the absorbent disk.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the absorbent disk comprises a filter paper disk having a diameter of approximately 3 millimeters. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the absorbent disk comprises a filter paper disk having a diameter of approximately 6 millimeters. 
     
     
         4 . The device of any of  claim 1 , wherein the manually actuatable component is spring-biased to remain in the first position when the manually actuatable component is not actuated. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the passage comprises a capillary passage. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the passage comprises a screened orifice. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a desiccant mounted in the interior cavity of the body. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a lancet system included in the body. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the lancet system is a single-use lancet system. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the single-use lancet system comprises a lancet having a needle extending from a body of the lancet, a lancet actuation component, a lancet depth adjustment component, and a lancet port formed as an opening in an outer wall of the body, wherein the lancet is slidably mounted in the interior cavity of the body and is in communication with the lancet actuation component. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the lancet is slidably mounted within tracks mounted within the interior cavity such that the lancet is moveable within the interior cavity between a first position where the lancet needle is fully contained within the interior cavity and a second position where a portion of the needle extends outside of the lancet port by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the lancet depth adjustment component is coupled to one or more blocking elements in the interior cavity, the one or more blocking elements configured to interface with a portion of the lancet to control the length of the portion of the needle which protrudes out of the lancet port following an actuation of the lancet. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the lancet actuation component includes a breakable component configured to break after an initial actuation of the lancet so that the lancet actuation component is no longer operable to actuate the lancet following the initial actuation. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 10 , further comprising a biasing spring positioned between a base component affixed within the interior cavity of body and a base portion of the lancet to supply a biasing force to the lancet in a direction along a central axis of the needle of the lancet and towards the lancet port. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14 , further comprising a latch coupled to the lancet actuation component, the latch configured to couple with a portion of the lancet to hold the lancet in a trigger-ready position, wherein, in the trigger-ready position, the biasing spring is compressed between the lancet and the base component and wherein an actuation of the lancet actuation component releases the latch from the lancet. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 14 , further comprising a counter-biasing spring positioned between a top portion of the lancet and an inner wall of the body to supply a counter-biasing force to the lancet in a direction along a central axis of the needle of the lancet and away from the lancet port. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein a spring constant of the counter-biasing spring is less than a spring constant of the biasing spring. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein a spring constant of the counter-biasing spring relative to a spring constant of the biasing spring is such that when the counter-biasing spring and the biasing spring are in equilibrium, the lancet is at a position in the internal cavity in which the needle of the lancet does not protrude out of the lancet port. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the manually actuatable component is coupled to the platform such that actuation of the manually actuatable component causes the platform to move toward the outlet in a direction along the central axis of the passage. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the manually actuatable component comprises a region of the body adjacent to and including the passage such that actuation of the manually actuatable component causes the passage to move toward the platform.