GB2268804A

GB2268804A - Sample bottle holder

Info

Publication number: GB2268804A
Application number: GB9214832A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Malcolm Scott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-07-13
Filing date: 1992-07-13
Publication date: 1994-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-13
Also published as: GB9214832D0; GB2268804B

Abstract

A holder (1) for retaining at least one sample bottle (5) has opposing members one of which supports the bottle and the other (2) has one or more holes (3) therethrough adapted to receive the top of the bottle. A biassing means urges the members together such that in use the sample bottle is located by the hole and retained by resilient action between the two members. Biassing is generally provided by fabricating the holder in a C or U shape e.g. from plastics or perspex. Optional smaller holes (4) are used e.g. for holding hypodermic needles (6). <IMAGE>

Description

HOLDING DEVICE The invention relates to a holding device for safely retaining at least one sample bottle. The invention is envisaged as being especially relevant to the procedure of obtaining blood culture specimens in hospitals.

A number of infectious agents can be transmitted from the blood of infected individuals to others. Among these agents are hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, the acquired immunodeficiency virus and Treponema pallidum, the cause of syphilis. The main risk to health care staff from these agents is by inoculation in a "sharps" accident, primarily from a hypodermic needle.

An especially dangerous practice is the taking of a blood sample for culture. Such samples are placed in a culture medium and sent for testing. In the "Bactec" system, cultures are studied to evaluate bacterial growth by production of CO2. A different system involves the measurement of changes in conductivity in the media, the bottles in this case each being equipped with two electrodes. Blood culture collection requires a number of manipulations and the patient's blood will often be infectious. The manipulations involved include fitting a needle on a syringe, taking a blood sample from a patient, injecting some of the blood sample into a sample bottle for culture and changing needles with blood still in the syringe.

There is thus a considerable demand for apparatus which can make this procedure safer for health care professionals by reducing the risk of accidental inoculation.

Accordingly, the invention provides a holding device for safely retaining at least one sample bottle comprising a pair of opposing members one of which in use supports the bottle and the other of which has one or more holes therethrough adapted to receive the top of the bottle, the device further comprising biassing means to urge the members together, such that in use the sample bottle is located by the hole and retained by resilient action between the two members.

Preferably, the biassing means is provided by the inherent resilience of an integral C- or U-shaped device the two arms of which form the above-mentioned two members.

The holding device of the invention serves to substantially reduce the risks of accidental inoculation. There is no longer any need for the hand of the operator to be in the vicinity of the sample bottle. The bottle is retained within the device under spring pressure and the sample can be injected into the bottle in situ. The operator's spare hand may be used to guide the device, but there is no need for the hand to be close to the bottle or the hypodermic needle.

There may be as many holes in the device as bottles needing to be retained in the sampling procedure used. Two and three are envisaged to be the most common numbers of the bottles required.

A particularly preferred feature is the presence of one or more further holes in the substantially planar member which also has the holes to locate the sample bottles. These holes are sized to correspond to the periphery of hypodermic needle sheathes. Sheathed hypodermic needles can be urged into these further holes, and frictionally retained by them.

This preferred features allows all especially dangerous operations, the sheathing and changing of needles and injection into the sample bottle, to be carried out with no need for the operator's free hand to be used for guidance. In each case, the sheathed needle, needle sheath or sample bottle is retained by the holding device. The operator's free hand can be used to steady the holding device, but can be kept away from danger.

A specific embodiment of the invention is described below, by example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

The holding rack 1 shown in the drawing can be moulded of plastics material, in particular perspex. The rack is generally C-shaped and the upper arm 2 of the rack has two large holes 3 drilled through it, and three smaller holes 4. The two large holes 3 are adjacent the edge of the upper arm 2 of the C- spring. These act to locate the neck of a sample bottle 5, the bottle being held between the two arms under spring action. A bottle 5 can be inserted or removed by forcing the arms apart against the action of the spring. The lower arm here contains two centering elevations as additional locating means for the bottles.

The three smaller holes 4 are to retain sheathed hypodermic needles 6. The needles are pushed into the holes, and retained by frictional engagement. Whereas the tray in this embodiment is configured to hold two bottles and three needles, different embodiments can be adapted for different numbers of bottles or needles.

The specific embodiment of the tray described may be used advantageously in a standard blood sampling operation. This consists of taking a blood sample from a patient, replacing the needle and injecting half the blood sample into a first sample bottle, then replacing the needle again and injecting the other half of the blood sample into a second sample bottle. With conventional apparatus, there is a perceptible risk of an injection accident, particularly in changing needles or in injecting a portion of the sample into a sample bottle.

With the inventive holding tray, the operation is as follows. The sample bottles and the sterile sheathed needles are placed in the tray. Then one of the needles is placed on a syringe, and withdrawn from its sheath. The sample is then taken from the patent: a vein is located, the skin above the vein cleared and the needle inserted and syringe filled. The needle is then re-engaged with its sheath, and a second needle placed on the syringe and removed from its sheath. As the needle sheathes are retained within the tray, the hand of the operator does not need to be in the vicinity of the needles and the possibility of a self-injection accident is prevented. The tray can be steadied by the operator's hand at a point remote from the needles, or the tray could be braced by other means.

The lid of the first bottle is then removed, and half of the sample injected into it. Again, the operator's hand does not need to be near to the bottle. The second needle is resheathed as before, and the third needle placed on the syringe. The second half of the sample is then injected into the second bottle, and the third needle resheathed. The needles and syringe can then be disposed of and the sample bottles sealed and bagged and sent to the testing laboratory. The holding tray can then be cleaned and sterilized. It is desirable that the tray is easily cleanable, which makes moulded perspex sheet a preferred choice of material. The sturdiness of perspex sheet is another advantage of this material. Another suitable material might be stainless steel sheet.

Claims

1. A holding device for safely retaining at least one sample bottle comprising a pair of opposing members one of which in use supports the bottle and the other of which has one or more holes therethrough adapted to receive the top of the bottle, the device further comprising biassing means to urge the members together, such that in use the sample bottle is located by the hole and retained by resilient action between the two members.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the members are the two arms of an integral C-shaped unit at least the arms of which are formed of an inherently resilient material.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper of the two members includes holes for needle sheaths.

4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the lower of the two members includes lateral protuberances to assist in the locating of the bottle or bottles.

5. A holding device for retaining at least one sample bottle substantially as herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.