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BD launches new fast-clotting serum blood collection tube


Contact:

Vikki Lomas
BD Corporate Communications
01865 781607

Email: vikki.lomas@europe.bd.com

 

BD launches new fast-clotting serum blood collection tube

 Delivers quality samples fast

 Oxford, UK (14 December 2010) - BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) today announced the launch of BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube, a blood collection device designed to help acute healthcare facilities rapidly analyse blood serum for patient diagnosis.  The BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube features the BD Hemogard™ safety-engineered closure, which enhances healthcare worker safety as well as compatibility with clinical analysers utilising front-end automation[1]. 

"Blood test results drive many important medical decisions, including how to treat or medicate patients,” said Ana Stankovic, MD, PhD, MSPH, Vice President, Medical and Scientific Affairs and Clinical Operations for BD Diagnostics - Preanalytical Systems.  “Technologies such as the BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube can help reduce the time it takes to get answers from blood tests and have a significant impact on patient care and hospital productivity.”  

With a five-minute clotting time and as little as three minutes of centrifugation (at 4000 g), the BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube can offer savings of up to 32 minutes of laboratory time[2] [3].  Standard serum separator tubes require a 30-minute clot time followed by 10 minutes of centrifugation before clinical laboratory professionals can begin analysing the sample and getting test results. 

“By taking essentially one sixth of the time of standard serum tubes to clot, the BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube is poised to help facilities significantly improve patient throughput, especially in places like emergency rooms where decisions to admit or treat patients are often based on blood test results[4],” said Stankovic.

The 5 ml-draw, 13x100ml plastic sterile blood-collection tube combines a thrombin-based additive with gel technology, which creates a high quality serum sample by minimising fibrin formation and haemolysis.  Haemolysis and clotted specimens are two common examples of sub-optimal quality, both of which can lead to laboratory errors[5].  Studies conducted by BD show a 59 percent reduction of haemolysis and fibrin strand formation in the BD Vacutainer® Rapid SerumTube versus the serum control tube[6].  This observed sample quality improvement may help lower the number of repeat collections by phlebotomy, which in turn can increase the productivity of the laboratory. 

About BD

BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in approximately 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.

 

 



[1] BD White Paper: VS5713:  BD Vacutainer™ PLUS SST™ and Serum Tubes, Catalog #367969 and #367895: A Comparative Evaluation of the 16mm BD Hemogard™ Closures with Respect to User Exposure to Blood and Cap Removal and Reinsertion Forces. 2001.

[2] BD White Paper: VS8126 Evaluation of the Performance of the BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube with BD Hemogard™ Closure Over a Range of Centrifugation G-Force. 2010.

[3] Prusa R, Doupovcova J, Warunek D and Stankovic A.K.  Improving Laboratory Efficiencies Through Significant Time Reduction in the Preanalytical Phase.  Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48(2):293–296.

[4] Steindel S, Howanitz P. Physician satisfaction and emergency department laboratory test turnaround time. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2001;125:863–71

[5] Bonini P, Plebani M, Ceriotti F, Rubboli F.  Errors in Laboratory Medicine. Clinical Chemistry 2002:48(5):691–698.

[6] BD Data on file: Evaluation of Hemolysis and Fibrin in the BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube – 2010.

 

 

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