FR2937024A1 - Biological sample i.e. blood sample, transporting system, has envelope fixed on sample tube by opening, where each wall comprises absorbing layer with air-laid type non-woven cellulose fiber pad placed above and laterally around tube - Google Patents

Abstract

The system has a sample case (1) comprising a body (10) equipped with a support (2) for supporting a sample tube. An absorption device is placed in the case. The device has an absorbing envelope (5) comprising rectangular walls connected between them on their entire periphery with the exception of a peripheral zone forming an opening (55) of the envelope. Each wall comprises an internal absorbing layer with an air-laid type non-woven cellulose fiber pad placed above and laterally around the tube. The envelope is fixed on the tube by the opening.

Description

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The present invention relates to a system for the transport of samples of biological material, in particular of liquid biological material, and more particularly of blood samples, comprising an absorption device, as well as an absorption device that can be used in such a system. . In the case of blood sampling, it is known transport systems, comprising a sample box, also called sampling box, comprising a box body and a lid, said box body being equipped with a sample tube holder adapted to support several tubes by their lower part. For the safety of persons, the transport system comprises an absorption device comprising an absorbent material, said absorption device being placed in the sample box to absorb the samples in the event of sample leakage from the tubes. As absorbent material, it is known to use a sponge, for example an viscose sponge of generally parallelepiped shape, or a bag of absorbent absorbent material, such as a gel, sponge or sponge. bag being simply placed in the box on one side of a row of tubes. In practice, these absorption devices are not entirely satisfactory. Indeed, especially in case of large and rapid leakage, for example in case of breakage of one or more tubes, the samples may not be fully absorbed by the absorbent material. The object of the present invention is to provide a solution to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, which allows a safe and effective absorption of sample leakage to preserve the external environment to the box of any contact with the samples taken. For this purpose, the present invention provides a system for transporting samples of biological material, particularly blood samples, comprising - a sample box having a box body and a lid, said box body being equipped with a sample tube holder adapted to support at least one sample tube; An absorption device comprising an absorbent material that can be placed in the sample box to absorb the

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sample (s) in the event of sample leakage from the sample tube (s), characterized in that said absorption device comprises at least one absorbent envelope comprising two walls interconnected on their entire periphery with the exception of a peripheral zone constituting the opening of said envelope, each wall comprising an absorbent layer including said absorbent material, said envelope being able to be fitted by its opening on at least one sample tube supported on said support, so as to cover said tube at least beyond said lower part. According to the invention, the absorption device is able to cover at least one sample tube so that the absorbent material is disposed above and laterally around said sample tube, which ensures effective absorption of the leaks. sample. The device, in the form of an envelope, makes it possible to wrap the tube on its support beyond said lower part. According to one embodiment, said support is able to support several sample tubes arranged in at least one row, said absorbent envelope being able to be fitted on all the sample tubes of said row. When the box contains a row of several sample tubes, the absorption device can be installed simply and quickly, by positioning the envelope on the row of tubes. When the box contains several parallel rows of tubes, a same envelope can be placed on the rows of tubes, or preferably, an envelope is placed on each row of tubes. When a row comprises a large number of tubes, several envelopes covering each successive tube of the row can be used. The support comprises for example a block provided with cavities, for example cylindrical, in which the lower parts of the tubes can be positioned, the envelope in position on the tubes then extends to the upper surface of the support block. According to one embodiment, said absorbent material comprises cellulose fibers, said absorbent layer of each wall of the absorbent envelope comprising a nonwoven mat of cellulose fibers. Such a non-woven mattress of cellulosic fibers, also called non-woven air-laid, allows a rapid absorption of a

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large amount of liquid material. The mattress is preferably formed of natural cellulosic fibers, also called unconverted cellulosic fibers. According to a feature, each wall of the absorbent envelope further comprises an outer waterproof layer. Such a seal layer effectively retains the sample in the envelope, including the time that the absorbent material absorbs the entire sample in case of large leaks. Preferably, said sample tube support is able to support each sample tube by its lower part, said envelope being able to be fitted by opening it on the sample tube (s) supported on said support. The present invention also relates to an absorption device for use in a transport system as described above, characterized in that it comprises at least one absorbent envelope, comprising two walls connected together over their entire periphery. with the exception of a peripheral zone constituting the opening of said absorbent envelope, each wall comprising an inner absorbent layer comprising a non-woven mat of cellulose fibers and, preferably, an outer sealing layer comprising a thermoplastic film, by for example a film of polyethylene, polypropylene, or copolymer of polyethylene and / or polypropylene, preferably a polyethylene film. According to one feature, the absorbent layer of each wall 25 comprises a nonwoven inner web of thermoplastic fibers laminated, and preferably heat sealed, to the nonwoven mat of cellulose fibers, said nonwoven inner web advantageously comprising a wetting additive, to make the wetting thermoplastic fibers and thus facilitate the absorption of the sample by the mattress through the inner veil. Said inner web makes it possible to avoid the dispersion of cellulose fibers or cellulosic particles of the nonwoven mat, and in particular to prevent fibers or particles of cellulose from coming onto the sample tubes, and pollute the samples. In another feature, the outer seal layer of each wall comprises a nonwoven outer web of thermoplastic fibers bonded to the thermoplastic film. Said veil

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outer protects the thermoplastic film, the latter can then be thin, said outer web including a protection against abrasion. The nonwoven inner web and the nonwoven outer web are of the spunbond type, conventionally referred to as spunbonded, and are for example polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester or copolymer veils of polyethylene, polypropylene and / or polyester preferably polypropylene webs. According to one embodiment, the absorbent envelope is of substantially rectangular shape, its two walls are constituted by the same multilayer piece formed of an absorbent layer and a waterproof layer, said multilayer piece being folded to form the bottom of the absorbent envelope, and the lateral edges of the walls are connected by heat-welding, according to lateral welds. Advantageously, the sealed layer has along the opening edge of each wall a fold which is welded to the inner face of the corresponding wall, according to a longitudinal weld. In the case of an absorbent layer with an inner web, the cellulosic fiber mat is thus fully enclosed in said web. According to one embodiment, said absorbent envelope further comprises a retentative absorbent material, such as a sodium polyacrylate salt, for example embedded in the nonwoven mat, or placed between the nonwoven mat and the waterproof thermoplastic film. . The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features, and advantages will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed explanatory description of a particular presently preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the drawings. attached schematic, in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a transport system 30 according to the invention, comprising a sampling box and an absorbent envelope, the figure illustrating the establishment of an absorbent envelope on a row of sampling tubes positioned on the tube support of the transport box in the open position; Figures 2 and 3 are respectively perspective and side views of the absorbent casing of Figure 1; FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the envelope along section plane IV-IV of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 4, before the thermo-welding is carried out; and FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views respectively of the absorption layer and the sealing layer constituting the absorbent envelope. The transport system illustrated in FIG. 1 is intended for the transport and packaging of several sample tubes or vials, of the blood sample type, and comprises a sample box, called sample box 1, equipped with a tube support 2. for supporting a row of several tubes, particularly blood collection tubes, at their lower part, and an absorbent envelope 5 of safety that can cover the row of tubes. Preferably, the transport system comprises a tube support disposed in the box so that in the open position of the box, the tubes 4 are protruding from said support and the box, with the exception of their part. lower by which they are supported substantially vertically. Compared to boxes in which the tubes are arranged flat, parallel to the bottom of the box, in the cells of a support, this type of box allows easy positioning of the envelope directly on the tubes positioned on the support , without manipulating said tubes. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the box comprises a body 25 of generally parallelepipedal shape, open on the top, comprising a bottom wall 11, two lateral walls 12 and two longitudinal walls 13. The support 2 is formed of a foam block fitted inside the body, between the lateral and longitudinal walls, said foam block being provided with a row of cavities 21 or vertical cylindrical recesses for the positioning of tubes 3. The tubes nested in the cells are protruding from the upper surface 22 of the foam block, as well as from the upper edges 14 of the lateral and longitudinal walls of the body, the latter being arranged in the present embodiment at substantially the same level as the upper face of the foam block. The support may comprise additional cells 23 of various sizes for the

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positioning needles or other equipment for blood sampling. The box further comprises a lid formed here by two flaps 3a, 3b, each flap being pivotally mounted along a longitudinal wall 13 of the body. From the open position illustrated in Figure 1, the two flaps can be returned to each other in the closed position for closing the box. The two flaps are equipped at their upper edge with complementary closure means 31, 32 ensuring the holding of the flaps in the closed position, for example by snap-fastening. Preferably, the two flaps ensure a tight closure of the box in their closed position. For a good hold of the tubes in the closed position, and avoid shocks between the tubes, a foam pad (not shown) is placed against the inner face of one of the shutters 3a, 3b. Alternatively, only one of the flaps may be pivotally mounted on the body. According to another embodiment not illustrated, the box comprises a parallelepiped body comprising a bottom, two side walls and two longitudinal walls, the support comprises a foam block provided with cells and is placed in a rigid parallelepiped receptacle 20 by which the support is mounted in the body, between the two longitudinal walls, preferably pivotally. During sampling, the receptacle is positioned so that the tubes placed in the cells are disposed substantially vertically, perpendicularly to the bottom of the box. For transport, the receptacle is rotated to bring the tubes substantially parallel to the bottom and then allow for the positioning of a lid, in one piece, on the upper edges of the body walls, the cover being optionally pivotally mounted along one of said edges. The absorption device comprises an absorbent wrapper which comprises an absorbent material and which can be positioned on the row of tubes so as to envelop them to the upper face 22 of the foam block. With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the generally rectangular envelope consists of two substantially parallel rectangular main walls 51, 52 connected to one another on three sides. The envelope is thus closed on three sides, with a closed bottom 53 and

7 two lateral sides 54 closed, and a fourth open side defining the opening 55 of the envelope. Each wall comprises an inner absorbent layer 6 and an outer seal layer 7. The absorbent layer 6 is formed of a non-woven mattress 61 of air-laid cellulose fibers, and a nonwoven inner web 62 of thermoplastic fibers, said inner web being heat-bonded to said nonwoven mat. The inner web, of spunbonded type, usually called spunbonded, is for example a nonwoven polypropylene web, advantageously including a wetting additive. The sealing layer 7 comprises a sealed thermoplastic film 71, for example a polyethylene film, and a nonwoven outer web 72 of thermoplastic fibers, for example a polypropylene web, which is heat-bonded to the thermoplastic film. The sealing layer is disposed against the absorbent layer, the sealed thermoplastic film being opposite the nonwoven mat. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the walls 51, 52 are formed from the same rectangular sheet or multi-layered part consisting of an absorbent layer and a waterproof layer, as described above, the two layers being arranged flat against each other, without connection between them. The multilayer piece is folded to form the bottom 53 of the envelope. At their lateral edges, the two walls are interconnected by lateral welds 81. The connection between the two walls is achieved by melting the thermoplastic fibers of the inner web 62 and the outer web 72. Advantageously, at the level of opening the envelope, the sealed layer of each wall is folded to form a fold 710 along the opening edge of the wall, said fold extending inside the envelope against the inner web 62 of the absorbent layer, as shown in Figure 5. Said fold is heat-welded to the inner face of the absorbent layer, against the inner web, according to a longitudinal weld 82. The nonwoven mat 61 is thus fully wrapped , the welded folds preventing any dispersion of fibers or cellulosic particles by the end edges 60a of the absorbent layer. For the realization of the casing, the multilayer piece is folded to form the bottom and the folds. Longitudinal welds 82

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are then made over the entire length and the full width of the folds, then the side welds 81 are made. The absorbent envelope is advantageously stored in the box on the inner face of the flap not covered with foam. Once the samples have been taken, the envelope is positioned on the tubes manually before closing the box for transporting the samples. The absorbent layer comprises a nonwoven mat having a thickness of between 0.5 and 10 millimeters (mm), preferably between 1.5 and 3 mm, the thickness being chosen according to the amount of sample that the we want to be able to absorb. Said nonwoven mat has an absorption capacity of between 5 milliliters (ml) and 100 ml, preferably between 30 ml and 50 ml. By way of example, the absorbent layer has a thickness of about 2 mm, with a non-woven mat about 1.5 mm thick, having an absorption capacity of about 35 m 2, and a outer polypropylene veil of about 0.5 mm. The waterproof layer has an outer web similar to the inner web, about 0.5 mm thick, the polyethylene waterproof film having for example a thickness of 10 m to 50 m, for example of the order of 15 m . According to alternative embodiments, the envelope further comprises a retentative absorbent material, for example in the form of granules, for example sodium polyacrylates, integrated for example in the nonwoven mat, or in the form of a layer of Retention material disposed between the mat and the sealed thermoplastic film, for example a viscous paste applied to the thermoplastic film. Although the invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it includes all the technical equivalents of the described means as well as their combinations if These are within the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

REVENDICATIONS1. System for transporting samples of biological material, in particular blood samples, comprising - a sample box (1) comprising a box body (10) and a lid (3a, 3b), said box body being equipped with a sample tube holder (2) adapted to support at least one sample tube (4) - an absorption device comprising an absorbent material, adapted to be placed in the sample box, characterized in that said device absorption device comprises at least one absorbent envelope (5) comprising two walls (51, 52) connected to each other over their entire periphery except for a peripheral zone constituting the opening (55) of said envelope, each wall comprising an absorbent layer (6) including said absorbent material (61), said envelope being adapted to be fitted by its opening (55) on at least one sample tube (4) supported on said support. 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said support (2) is able to support a plurality of sample tubes (4) arranged in at least one row, said absorbent envelope (5) being adapted to be fitted on the set of sample tubes of said row. 3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said absorbent material comprises cellulose fibers, said absorbent layer (6) of each wall (51, 52) of the absorbent envelope comprising a nonwoven mat (61 ) of cellulose fibers. 4. System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each wall (51, 52) of the absorbent envelope further comprises an outer waterproof layer (7). 30 5. System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said support (2) of sample tube is adapted to support each sample tube (4) by its lower part, said envelope being adapted to be fitted by its opening (55) on the sample tube (s) (4) supported on said support. 35 6. Absorption device for use in a transport system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that 2937024 comprises at least one absorbent envelope (5), comprising two walls (51, 52 ) interconnected over their entire periphery except for a peripheral zone constituting the opening (55) of said absorbent envelope, each wall comprising an inner absorbent layer (6) comprising a nonwoven mat (61) of fibers cellulose and an outer waterproof layer (7) comprising a thermoplastic film (71). An absorption device according to claim 6, characterized in that the absorbent layer (6) of each wall (51, 52) comprises an inner web (62) of nonwoven thermoplastic fibers bonded to the nonwoven mat (61) of cellulose fibers. 8. Absorption device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the outer sealing layer (7) of each wall comprises an outer web (72) nonwoven of thermoplastic fibers 15 laminated to the thermoplastic film (71). 9. Absorption device according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the absorbent envelope (5) is substantially rectangular in shape, its two walls (51, 52) are constituted by the same multilayer piece formed of an absorbent layer (6) and a sealing layer (7), said multilayer member being folded to form the bottom (53) of the absorbent envelope, and the side edges of the walls are thermo-welded. 10. Absorption device according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the sealed layer has along the opening edge 25 of each wall a fold (710) which is welded to the inner face of the wall corresponding. 11. Absorption device according to one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that said absorbent casing (5) further comprises a retaining absorbent material.