Lancets for bodily fluid sampling supplied on a tape

摘要

A supply of lancets for a multi-use lancing device are carried by a tape and sequentially brought from a storage position to an activating position by advancing the tape around a bend. In the lancets' activating position they extend from the tape such that their sharp tips are available for lancing tissue. The carrying tape can be arranged in reel-to-reel format in a housing having a lancing opening. The lancets can be integral with the tape and activated to move the lancet through the lancing opening by moving the tape along its tape path or by translating a dedicated service loop of the tape. The lancets can also be independent from the tape and activated through the lancing opening by a separate lancing actuator. A test media can be included on the carrying tape and the housing can contain a sensor to yield an integrated lancing and testing device.

主权项

1. A method for obtaining a bodily fluid sample comprising:
providing a reel-to-reel tape carrying a plurality of lancets that are non-circular in cross section along a major portion of a length of each of the plurality of lancets, the tape having a length and defining a supply section of the tape, a storage section of the tape, and an activating section of the tape that spans between the supply and the storage sections wherein the activating section of the tape is translatable independently of the supply section of the tape and the storage section of the tape; advancing the tape to position a first lancet adjacent a bend in the activating section of the tape with a sharp tip of the first lancet spaced from the tape; translating only the activating section of the tape with a mechanism without activating the supply section and the storage section of the tape to pierce tissue with the sharp tip of the first lancet; and after the piercing, advancing the tape to bring the sharp tip of the first lancet closer to the tape wherein the supply section of the tape is wrapped around a supply reel and the storage section of the tape is wrapped around a storage reel, the supply reel and the storage reel being spaced apart from each other, and either the supply reel or the storage reel is configured to advance the tape.