JP3110180B2 - Blood collection tube - Google Patents

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 used in clinical examinations and the like, and more particularly to a blood collection tube having a plug provided with a structure for preventing a plug from falling into or entering the blood collection tube.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Blood collection tubes are used for collecting, pretreating, or storing blood in the field of clinical testing using blood as a test material. The blood is collected by a vacuum blood collection method using a dedicated blood collection needle and a holder, with the inside of the blood collection tube under reduced pressure. The pretreatment also varies depending on the purpose of the test, for example, after blood collection, and then allowed to stand until the blood coagulates, then collect serum by centrifugation, or with a pretreatment reagent such as an anticoagulant One that is mixed with blood in a blood collection tube is exemplified. In the former, the blood collection tube also functions as a centrifuge tube, and in the latter, it also functions as a sample preparation container.

Further, the above-mentioned storage is performed by collecting blood in a blood collection tube, closing the blood collection tube with a plug, and storing the blood collection tube in a refrigerator or a freezer.
In this case, the blood collection tube functions as a storage container for preventing external contamination or blood sample outflow. The blood collection tube as described above usually has a tubular container made of glass or synthetic resin or the like, one end of which is opened, and a plug having rubber elasticity.

[0004] In recent years, in the field of clinical examinations and the like, in order to prevent blood-borne infections, it has been demanded that blood samples do not adhere to fingers when plugs are removed and inserted from tubular containers of blood collection tubes. To satisfy such demands,
EP 0445707 and JP-B-2-25611 each propose a blood collection tube having a structure in which a cap is attached around a plug. These prior art structures will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0005] A blood collection tube 1 shown in FIG. 5 has a tubular container 2 having an opening at one end, and a plug 3 attached so as to close the opening of the tubular container 2. The plug 3 is made of a material having rubber elasticity, and has a concave depression 3b at the center of the top surface 3a. In the blood collection tube 1, a cap 4 is attached around the plug 3. The cap 4 is attached to a cylindrical portion 4a disposed so as to extend from the side of the plug 3 to the periphery of the upper portion of the tubular container 2, and is mounted above the cylindrical portion 4a. And a top plate portion 4b provided with a through hole for exposing the depression 3b.

In the blood collection tube 5 shown in FIG. 6, a cap 6 is similarly attached around the plug 3 fitted in the tubular container 2. Here, the cap 6 is made of a synthetic resin, and is integrally formed so as to cover not only the side periphery of the plug 3 and the periphery of the upper portion of the tubular container 1 but also the upper portion of the plug 3. . However, in the cap 6, a through hole 6a is formed in the upper part.
The recess 3b is exposed by a.

In the blood collection tubes 1 and 5 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the locking portions 4 provided on the caps 4 and 6, respectively.
Since c and 6b lock the lower edge of the peripheral portion of the plug 3,
The caps 4 and 6 are integrated with the plug 3. Since the plug 3 is covered with the caps 4 and 6 in this manner, the plug 3
When blood is removed from the tubular container 2, the blood is prevented from scattering around. Therefore, since infection through blood can be effectively prevented, the cap 4 as described above is used.
Blood collection tubes with 6 are rapidly spreading.

[0008]

However, in the blood collection tubes 1 and 5 with caps shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when blood is collected in the blood collection tube and then centrifuged to collect serum, for example, Accidents tend to occur in which the plug 3 comes off the caps 4 and 6 and falls into the tubular container 2 to damage the blood sample. In particular, in the case of an urgent test, centrifugation is often performed with a centrifugal force 5 times or more higher than usual to quickly separate serum or plasma, and the plug frequently falls into the blood collection tube. Met.

In addition, when a sampling nozzle needle is pierced into the plug 3 and a plug 3 is penetrated to collect a specimen, the frictional resistance between the plug 3 and the nozzle needle is relatively large, and The body 3 may fall or slip into the tubular container 2. Therefore, even if the blood collection tubes 1 and 5 are provided with the caps 4 and 6 as described above to improve the safety of the inspector, their true value has not been sufficiently exerted.

[0010] The drop of the plug 3 into the tubular container 2 as described above is caused by the concave recess 3b in the center of the top surface 3a of the plug 3.
This is caused by the provision of. That is, since the depression 3b is formed, the plug 3 is bent and deformed in the direction of the central axis of the blood collection tube by centrifugal force acting from the opening of the tubular container 2 toward the bottom during the centrifugal separation or the frictional resistance of the insertion of the nozzle needle. It is considered that the plug 3 comes off from the caps 4 and 6 due to the deformation and falls.

On the other hand, the depression 3b is indispensable to prevent contamination of a test worker due to bleeding of blood which occurs when a blood sample is collected or collected by a blood collection needle or a sampling nozzle needle. It is. Therefore, the depression 3b causes the specimen 3 to drop into the tubular container 2 as described above, but cannot be removed.

The above problem also occurs in a blood collection tube having no caps 4 and 6, that is, a blood collection tube in which a rubber elastic plug 3 is inserted so as to close the opening of the tubular container 2. I was

An object of the present invention is to effectively prevent the stopper from dropping into the tubular container during the centrifugal separation operation or the insertion of the sampling nozzle needle or the like, and therefore, the blood sample may be damaged. There is no blood collection tube to offer.

[0014]

According to the present invention, a blood collection tube includes a tubular container having one end opened, and a plug closing the opening. The plug has a head for holding the plug, a diameter smaller than the head, a foot fitted into the tubular container, and is made of a rubber elastic body. A concave dent is formed on the top surface of the head of the plug, and a deformation suppressing member having rigidity is used in the dent of the head to suppress deformation of the peripheral portion of the head toward the dent. Inserted and insertion of deformation suppression member
The lower end of the entrance is not located below the bottom of the depression.
Have been. Further, an opening is formed in the deformation suppressing member so as to expose the bottom of the depression of the plug.

[0015]

Since the rigid deformation suppressing member is inserted into the recess provided on the top surface of the head of the plug, the state in which the plug is attached to the tubular container is from the plug to the bottom of the tubular container. In the case where a large centrifugal force acts on the plug, or when a large insertion frictional resistance occurs when the sampling nozzle needle is pierced into the plug, etc. The deformation is effectively suppressed by the deformation suppressing member. Therefore, since the outer diameter of the head of the plug is not easily reduced, the plug is effectively prevented from falling into the tubular container.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings to clarify the present invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a blood collection tube according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The blood collection tube 11 has a tubular container 12 having one end opened, and a stopper 13 attached so as to close the opening of the tubular container 12.

The material of the tubular container 12 is not particularly limited, and is made of, for example, glass or synthetic resin. A reagent such as a blood coagulation accelerator, an anticoagulant, or a serum separating agent can be stored in the tubular container 12 depending on the purpose of the test. Further, in order to use the vacuum blood collection method, the inside of the tubular container 12 can be reduced in pressure according to the blood collection amount.

The plug 13 is made of an elastic material through which a blood collection needle can be pierced, and more specifically, a rubber elastic body having rubber elasticity such as vulcanized rubber or thermoplastic elastomer.

The plug 13 has a head 13 having a relatively large diameter.
a and a foot 13b having a relatively small diameter. The foot 13b is used to seal the inside of the tubular container
2 is configured to have a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the tubular container 12.
Is fitted inside.

The top surface of the head 13a has a concave recess 13c.
Are formed. The depression 13c is used for facilitating puncturing of a blood collection needle or a sampling nozzle needle similarly to the depression 3b of the plug 3 in the conventional blood collection tube (see FIGS. Provided to prevent contamination in

In this embodiment, a cylindrical member is inserted into the recess 13c as the deformation suppressing member 14, and is attached to the peripheral wall of the recess 13c. The deformation suppressing member 14b can be made of any material such as a metal, a thermoplastic synthetic resin, and a thermosetting synthetic resin, but needs to be configured to have a certain degree of rigidity. The degree of this stiffness
When a large centrifugal force is applied toward the bottom of the tubular container 12, or when frictional resistance is applied when a sampling nozzle needle or a blood collection needle is punctured or inserted into the plug 13, the head 13a of the plug 13 It is determined so that the peripheral portion can be effectively prevented from being deformed in the central axis direction.

The deformation suppressing member 14 can be manufactured by any known method such as cutting, injection molding or cast molding. Deformation suppressing member 14
Is formed of a rigid cylindrical member in the present embodiment, and is attached to the peripheral wall of the depression 13c. However, the deformation suppressing member 14 is attached by bonding with a solvent-type hot melt adhesive. Alternatively, it may be attached to the peripheral wall of the depression 13c by heat fusion. Further, the deformation suppressing member 14 made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the recess 13c may be fixed by being pressed into the inside of the recess 13c.

Further, as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the deformation suppressing member 14 may be formed in a hemispherical shape together with the shape of the hemispherical recess 13c. However, also in this case, in order to expose the bottom of the depression 13c,
It is necessary to form an opening at the lower end of the deformation suppressing member 14, so that it is possible to puncture a blood collection needle or a sampling nozzle needle.

In the second embodiment, the deformation suppressing member 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a shape that extends not only to the portion attached to the inner wall of the depression 13c in the depression 13c but also to the top surface of the plug 13. As described above, the deformation suppressing member 14 in the blood collection tube of the present invention only needs to have at least a portion to be inserted into the recess 13c, and may be formed to reach another portion.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a blood collection tube according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the tubular container 12
A cap 15 is fixed to a plug 13 attached so as to close the opening. The cap 15 is provided to prevent the blood sample or the like inside from being scattered when the plug 13 is inserted or removed, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. The cap 15 includes a tubular portion 15a surrounding the side of the plug 13 and a portion near the upper end of the tubular container 12, and
A top plate portion 15b covering the top surface of the plug 13 and further extended into the depression 13c at the center of the top plate portion 15b,
And a deformation suppressing portion 15 attached to the peripheral wall of the recess 13c.
c. That is, in the blood collection tube of the present embodiment, the deformation suppressing portion 15c of the cap 15 functions so as to correspond to the deformation suppressing member of the present invention. Therefore, the cap 15
It not only functions to prevent scattering of the blood sample inside, but also functions as a deformation suppressing member.

The cap 15 is made of an arbitrary material such as a synthetic resin or a metal. Preferably, a cap made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin is used because it is easily colored. An annular rib 15d protruding inward is formed at an intermediate height position of the cap 15, and this annular rib 15 is provided to lock the lower edge of the head 13a of the plug 13. Have been.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the plug 13 and the cap 15 are integrated by press-fitting the plug 13 from below the cap 15. In the third embodiment, the tubular portion 15a, the top plate 15b, and the deformation suppressing portion 15c are integrally formed. However, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. The deformation suppressing portion 15c may be formed separately from the plate portion 15b and connected to the top plate portion 15b.

In the fourth embodiment, after the plug 13 is pressed into the tubular container 12 with the annular rib 15d of the cap 15 interposed therebetween, the top plate 15b serving as a lid member is fitted from above. The top plate 15b and the deformation suppressing unit 15c formed integrally with the top plate 15b are mounted as shown in the figure.

Next, specific experimental results will be described. A 10 ml blood collection tube was closed using a conventional stopper having a depression on the top surface without a cap, which was a conventional example. The dimensions and materials of the plug are as shown in Table 1 below.
As Example A, a polypropylene tube having a diameter of 7.1 mm and a length (length in the direction of insertion into the recess) of 5.0 mm was recessed in a recess of a plug body having the same dimensions and the same material as the above-mentioned conventional example. After press-fitting along the inner layer, a 10 ml blood collection tube was similarly stoppered. Further, as Example Product B, the cap 15 shown in FIG. 4 was fixed to the same stopper used in Example Product A, and a 10 ml blood collection tube was similarly closed.

The cap 15 used in the product B of the embodiment has a deformation suppressing portion having the same size as that of the product A of the embodiment. Ten pieces were prepared for each of the above-mentioned conventional example and example products A and B, and centrifuged under high-speed centrifugation conditions of 10,000 G, and the dropping of the plug was observed. As a result, as shown in Table 1, in the conventional example, the plug dropped into the tubular container in 100% of the blood collection tubes, whereas the plug did not drop in any of Examples A and B. Met.

[0031]

[Table 1]

[0032]

According to the present invention, the deformation suppressing member is inserted into the recess provided on the top surface of the stopper, so that the centrifugal force during centrifugation and the insertion of the sample sampling nozzle needle and the like can be reduced. The stopper is reliably prevented from dropping or slipping into the tubular container. Therefore, the risk of damaging the blood sample in the blood collection tube can be reliably reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a blood collection tube according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a blood collection tube according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a blood collection tube according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a blood collection tube according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventional blood collection tube.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of a conventional blood collection tube.

[Brief description of reference numerals]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Blood collection tube 12 ... Tubular container 13 ... Plug 13a ... Head 13b ... Foot 13c ... Depression 14 ... Deformation suppression member

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tubular container having one end opened and a plug closing the opening, wherein the plug has a concave recess formed on a top surface and holds the plug at the time of insertion and removal. And a foot portion having a diameter smaller than that of the head and fitted into the tubular container, wherein the plug body is made of a rubber elastic body, and is directed toward a depression side of a peripheral portion of the head. In order to suppress deformation, a deformation suppressing member having rigidity is inserted into the depression, and the lower end of the insertion portion of the deformation suppressing member is located below the bottom of the depression.
The blood collection tube is characterized in that an opening is formed in the deformation suppressing member so as to expose the bottom of the depression of the plug body.