The Integrated Blood-Collection System as a Vehicle into Complete Clinical Laboratory Automation

A rationale is offered and methodology illustratedfor inte-gratingthe fundamental steps involvedinthe collectionand processing of blood for laboratory evaluation. The ap-proach taken in the development of these concepts and components greatly extends the possibilitiesof laboratory systems integration without upsetting established modali-ties. A prototype design of the integrated blood-collection system integrates blood collection, cellular separations, sample transfer to stable storage withoutchemical media-tors, and sample presentation for chemical analysis (e.g., precision metering) while preserving patient identification. A sophisticated, multi-chambered blood-collection con-tainer is the site of all bloodsample processingand transfer steps. This device is supported by a compact, robotic centrifuge of unique design and a transfer mechanism t