JPH06109741A - Sample preservation method for automatic analyzer and sample dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a sample dispenser which is not bulky, facilitates the arrangement of the correspondence between a sample and its identification information, and can preserve the sample. CONSTITUTION:A serial number of 3-4 digits is printed in advance on a chip 4 removably fitted at the tip of a dispensation nozzle 2. Heating elements 14a, 14b moved in the horizontal direction and pinching the chip 4 from both sides are provided to fuse the tip section and base end section of the chip 4 sucked with a fixed quantity of a sample. The chip 4 sealed with the sample is removed from the tip of the dispensation nozzle 2 by a plate spring 12 and preserved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for storing an inspected sample in an automatic analyzer for clinical examination in a medical institution such as a hospital or an inspection facility, and a sample dispenser therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a clinical test, a sample such as blood is put in each sample container, and in an automatic analyzer, a sample is dispensed from the sample container into a sampler of the analyzer by a sample dispenser. The rest of the post-dispensing sample is retained for later retesting needs. As a storage method, a method in which the sample container containing the sample is frozen and stored as it is is used. As the sample container, for example, a blood collection tube having a diameter of 13 mm and a height of 75 mm or a blood collection tube having a diameter of 16 mm and a height of 100 mm is used. Since such a blood collection tube is frozen and stored as it is, it is bulky, It cannot be stored for a long time. If the remaining sample is to be manually transferred and stored in a small container, the sample and its identification information must be associated with each other, but the identification information becomes complicated.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The first object of the present invention is to store a sample in a bulky manner, which makes it possible to store it for a long period of time, and to arrange the correspondence between the sample and its identification information. It is also to provide a sample storage method that can be facilitated. A second object of the present invention is to provide a sample dispenser for implementing the method of the present invention.

[0004]

According to the method of the present invention, a resin-made chip is detachably attached to the tip of a dispensing nozzle of a sample dispenser for each sample, and the chip is used to analyze a sample in an analyzer. This is a method in which after dispensing a sample to a sampler, a certain amount of the sample is sucked into the chip, and then the tip and base ends of the chip are fused and the sample is enclosed and stored in the chip.

The sample dispenser of the present invention is numbered and attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle so as to be detachably attached to each sample and a resin tip attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle at the tip discarding position. A heat-dissipating mechanism, in which the tip and the base end of the chip, which are vertically positioned so that the parts thereof face downward, are sandwiched by the heating elements from both sides to fuse the tip and the base end of the chip. And a chip removing mechanism for removing the chip, which is fused and sealed with the sample, from the tip of the dispensing nozzle.

[0006]

The tip used for dispensing is smaller than the blood collection tube and has a diameter of 6 to 7 mm and a length of 10 mm, for example.
mm. Therefore, it requires less space for storage than a blood collection tube. At the time of sample dispensing, identification information is attached to the sample container by a barcode or the like, and the barcode is read prior to dispensing and is taken into a control computer or the like. Since the chip used in the present invention is also numbered, if the chip number is input to the control computer or the like for storage, the chip number and the identification information of the sample enclosed and stored in the chip are stored. Corresponding and managed by a control computer, etc., there is no need to worry about organizing identification information.

[0007]

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 shows an example of a sample storage device provided at a position where a chip is discarded after the sample dispensing is completed. 1A is a front sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. A tip 4 is detachably attached to each tip of a dispensing nozzle 2 for dispensing a sample to a sampler of an analyzer by a sample dispenser of an automatic analyzer. The tip of the chip 4 is a nozzle having a small hole, and the sample is sucked from the sample container into the chip 4 through the dispensing nozzle 2 and dispensed to the sampler. The state shown in the figure is a state in which a certain amount of the sample 6 is sucked by the tip 4 and positioned at the sample discarding position after the dispensing is completed.

A serial number of 3 to 4 digits is printed in advance on the chip 4. In the figure, the chip 4a numbered 001 is already accommodated, and the sample dispensed using the chip 4a is enclosed in the chip 4a.
The sample is enclosed in the tip 4a by fusing the tip and the base end of the sample.

A container 8 for temporarily containing the chip 4a removed from the dispensing nozzle 2 for storage is provided at a chip discarding position, and the container 8 has a chip inlet 10 having an inner diameter larger than that of the chip 4 and the dispensing nozzle 2. And a leaf spring 12 is attached to the tip inlet 10. When the dispensing nozzle 2 descends vertically from above the tip inlet 10 with the tip 4 attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle 2, the tip 4 spreads the leaf spring 12 of the tip inlet 10 and spreads the container. Enter within 8. Then, when the dispensing nozzle 2 is pulled out vertically in the upward direction, the tip of the leaf spring 12 hits the upper end of the tip 4, and the tip 4 is removed from the dispensing nozzle 2 and stored in the container 8.

In order to fuse the tip and base ends of the chip 4 inside the container 8, there are provided heating elements 14a and 14b which move horizontally to sandwich the chip 4 from both sides.
The heating elements 14a and 14b are provided in pairs so as to fuse the tip end portion and the base end portion of the chip 4, respectively. The base part can be moved from both sides. The horizontal movement of the heating elements 14a and 14b is
The heating is performed in synchronization with the vertical movement of the dispensing nozzle 2, and the heating elements 14a and 14b sandwich the tip 4 from both sides to fuse the tips.
After separating to both sides, the dispensing nozzle 2 is pulled up and the chip 4 is accommodated in the container 8.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the sample dispenser is energized, the leading number of the chip 4 used on the day is input to the control computer.
The sample is put in a sample container with a barcode label and carried to the sampling position. The bar code of the sample container is read by the bar code reader at or before the time when the sample arrives at the sampling position, and the dispensing amount is inquired and retrieved by the control computer corresponding to the identification information of the bar code.

A resin chip is detachably attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle of the sample dispenser for each sample, and a necessary amount of sample is sucked into the chip and dispensed to the sampler of the analyzer. When the dispensing operation is completed, a certain amount for saving,
For example, 200 μl of sample is sucked into the chip 4.
The tip sucking the sample is moved to the tip discarding position by the dispensing nozzle 2. At the tip discarding position, as shown in FIG. 1, the tip 4 spreads the leaf spring 12 and expands the container 8
It is inserted and positioned inside. Then, the heating element 14a
And 14b move horizontally in the direction of the chip 4 to fuse the tip and base ends of the chip 4, and the sample 6 is enclosed in the chip 4. After that, the heating elements 14a and 14b move in a direction away from the tip 4, and then the dispensing nozzle 2 moves upward, whereby the leaf spring 12 pulls the tip 4 out of the dispensing nozzle 2 and accommodates it in the container 8. It

The identification information of the sample 6 enclosed in the chip 4 is taken into the control computer by reading the bar code of the sample container of the sample during the dispensing operation, and the number of the chip 4 is determined. Since the first chip number is input to the control computer at the start of the injection, the control computer stores the chip number to be stored and the information of the sample stored in the chip in association with each other.

When dispensing the next sample, the control computer increments the chip number by one, and similarly dispenses the next sample and encloses it in the chip 4, and the correspondence between the bar code number and the chip number. The attached information is stored. Less than,
This operation is repeated every time a new sample is dispensed, and a fixed amount of each sample is sealed and stored.
The embodiment of FIG. 1 merely shows an example of the fusion bonding mechanism and the tip removing mechanism, and the present invention is not limited to the mechanism of the embodiment of FIG.

[0015]

According to the present invention, since the sample used for dispensing the sample is enclosed and stored, the sample can be stored without being bulky. Since the sample is not bulky to store, it can be stored for a long period of time, and the range of use of the stored sample is expanded.
In the past, the chips were replaced and discarded for each sample, so that the waste can be used to store the sample, and the cost for storage can be reduced.

Since the stored identification information of the sample and the number of the chip in which the sample is enclosed are managed by the control computer or the like, when re-examination is performed later in correspondence with the patient's medical history of the sample, etc. Moreover, the information can be easily retrieved in a form that is easy to use. According to the present invention, if a sample used for dispensing is sealed and stored, the sample is not a sample after it has been used for an analysis operation, and thus can be stored in a non-contaminated state.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are views showing a sample encapsulation device for sample storage in one embodiment, FIG. 1A is a front sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. .

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 dispensing nozzle 4 tip 6 sample 8 container 10 tip inlet 12 leaf springs 14a, 14b heating element

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A resin tip is detachably attached to each tip of a dispensing nozzle of a sample dispenser for each sample, and the tip is used to dispense a sample into a sampler of an analyzer and then to the tip. A method of storing a sample, which comprises sucking a fixed amount of the sample and then fusing the tip and the base end of the chip to seal the sample in the chip. 2. A resin chip numbered and detachably attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle for each sample and a lower end attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle at the tip discarding position. The tip and the base end of the chip positioned in the vertical direction are sandwiched by the heating element from both sides to fuse the tip and the base end of the chip and the sample is fused by the heating element. A sample dispenser comprising a chip removing mechanism for removing the enclosed chip from the tip of a dispensing nozzle.