Ring-Shaped Device Reduces Pain of Drawing Blood

The Rapid Ring is an integrated device for sampling and testing blood from a human finger, comprised of a radially expandable, temporary clamp placed around the distal phalanx of the middle finger, a spring-loaded lancet for piercing the fingertip, and a testing platform for studying the blood sample directly after being drawn. The ring-type clamp applies pressure to the finger to create a region of increased blood volume and pressure, reducing the pain of the lancet. The close proximity of the device's components could also be an effective solution to the problem of drawing enough blood from the patient's finger.

The housing also contains a lateral opening for inserting the test strip, which has a small orifice on its surface to allow the lancet to pierce through it so that blood drawn automatically drips onto the strip. An optional capillary sponge can further facilitate the transfer of the sample to the test strip, which contains a predetermined amount of at least one reagent testing means. A blood volume window indicates when sufficient blood has been drawn for a particular test, and a second window indicates the test results.

The disposable device is intended for early detection of diseases and complications from AIDS; diagnosing health conditions such as elevated cholesterol; measuring glucose levels for monitoring diabetes; detecting the presence of illegal drugs and drugs of abuse; screening for pregnancy; measuring prothrombin time for monitoring blood thinning and clotting; detecting fecal occult blood to screen for colorectal cancer; and detecting luteinizing hormone to predict ovulation. The Rapid Ring is a product of RapidDX (Tel Aviv, Israel), a portfolio company of TechnoPlus Ventures (Tel Aviv, Israel), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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