JPH10170510A - Stool sampler for occult blood examination - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a stool sampler for occult blood examination by which hemoglobin in dejection is sampled quantitatively and surely, by which the obtained hemoglobin and a buffer solution are mixed automatically so as to prepare a sample solution, and by which the sample solution is supplied to an inspection process simply and easily. SOLUTION: A rod main body 2, in which a uniform fine gap is formed at random over the whole length, in which parts other than its tip part 2a and its base end part 2b are formed substantially to be water-nonabsorbent, which has a capillary action and which is made of a fiber bundle is formed, the tip part 2a of the rod main body 2 is stuck into dejection, and hemoglobin is sampled together with a liquid substance. The tip part 2a of the used rod main body 2 is immersed in a buffer-solution holding container 6, a buffer solution is sucked up to the side of the base end pat 2b from the tip part 2a of the rod main body, a sample solution is created so as to be stocked inside a liquid passage 4 which communicates with the base end part 2b, and the sample solution is supplied to an inspection process by a proper means from the tip part 5 of a holder 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fecal occult blood sampling device for collecting fecal occult blood used for immunological fecal occult blood test using an antigen-antibody reaction using an anti-human hemoglobin antibody. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to detect gastrointestinal diseases such as colorectal cancer and gastric ulcer at an early stage, it is essential to collect stool hemoglobin in an immunological fecal occult blood test to collect stool hemoglobin. There have been many proposals for a collection tool for collecting fecal occult blood. However, in each case, the stool is directly collected, and the obtained stool sample is immersed in a stool dissolving solution such as physiological saline or various buffers, and the stool dissolving solution is filtered through a filter to obtain a sample solution. However, there are many problems in practical use, such as the complicated preparation of the stool, the complicated structure of the tool for collecting fecal occult blood, and the increased cost.

Accordingly, the applicant has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-14817.
No. 7, in order to collect only hemoglobin in feces, a feces collection rod made of a water-absorbing fiber bundle supported by a support member, a support member supporting the feces collection rod, a soft scraper and a hard scraper. A scraper holding member,
We proposed a stool collection tool that is extremely easy to handle and that has a simple structure, which is composed of an extraction solution holding container.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-244045 discloses a stool collection section for collecting a stool sample, an inflow port into which a stool sample solution is introduced, and an interior provided with a filter for removing unnecessary solids. A reaction container integrally provided with a flow channel, a stool collection instrument main body having a dropping port into which a stool sample solution is dropped, and a stool dissolving solution detachably attached to the reaction container held therein, and A fecal occult blood test device is configured with a compression container configured to be compressible with the stool, the fecal sampling instrument body is pierced into feces, the obtained sample stool is dissolved in the stool sample solution, and the compression container is compressed with a finger. It is disclosed that a stool sample solution is transferred to a reaction container through the interior of the stool collection instrument body and an immunological fecal occult blood test is performed in the reaction container.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-148.
The stool collection tool disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 177 effectively extracts only hemoglobin in feces and makes it easy to prepare a sample solution for an immunological fecal occult blood test by contacting it with a buffer. It is effective in comprehending what it can do. However, when using the sample solution, the scraper for closing the opening of the extraction solution holding container is manually removed, or the bottom of the extraction solution holding container is formed to be thin beforehand, and the thin portion is punctured after puncturing the thin portion. It has the disadvantage of requiring a member to which the solution can be dropped.

The fecal occult blood test apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-244045 has the advantage that the presence or absence of fecal occult blood can be immediately determined. The point that the main body is hollow to form the inlet for the stool sample solution and the filter is provided inside the hollow on the inlet side of the stool sample solution require complicated and quite advanced technology, and the number of parts used by these And the number of man-hours for assembling is inevitable, which inevitably increases the cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a fecal occult blood collection tool which has a simple structure and a small number of parts, and is easy to operate.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a fecal occult blood collection tool according to the present invention comprises a rod main body having a random and uniform fine gap over its entire length except for a distal end portion and a proximal end portion of a rod main body. It is substantially non-water-absorbing, and is characterized in that hemoglobin in feces is collected at the distal end of the rod main body, and a sample solution in which the hemoglobin is dissolved is discharged from the base end of the rod main body. is there.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The fecal occult blood collection device of the present invention collects hemoglobin in feces, dissolves the collected hemoglobin in physiological saline or various buffers to form a sample solution, and forms the sample solution. In order to supply a predetermined amount to the test device, a rod mainly having a capillary action capable of filtering solid matter contained in the sample solution and sucking only the sample solution from the distal end toward the proximal end is used. is there.

The rod is mainly composed of a fibrous structure in which thermoplastic synthetic resin fiber bundles are converged and bound with a binder made of synthetic resin to form uniform fine gaps randomly over the entire length, or a thermoplastic synthetic resin fiber bundle. It is possible to use a resin in which minute gaps (capillaries) are formed in the axial direction by extrusion molding of a resin, but the absorption characteristics of liquid substances from various stools having different properties and the adsorption and retention of hemoglobin, It is preferable to use a fibrous structure from the viewpoint of the dissociation characteristics of hemoglobin in a buffer solution.

In order to collect hemoglobin in feces at the distal end of the rod, the distal end of the rod is ground in a conical shape, and the top of the rod is formed into a hemispherical shape so as to easily pierce the feces. Coating or laminating the outer surface other than the end or base end surface, or forming a smooth and non-water-absorbing coating layer by means such as heat melting treatment, to facilitate removal of excess feces adhered to the rod main body, and The hemoglobin collected from the side portion does not leak, and the sample solution in which the hemoglobin collected from the base end is dissolved can be reliably discharged.

The rod body having such a configuration is held at the base end of a holder that directly or indirectly seals an opening of a buffer storage container described later. This holder holds the base end of the rod main body, and if it has a liquid passage capable of discharging the sample solution in which the collected hemoglobin dissolved into the base end of the rod main body is dissolved, to the outside, In particular, there is no limitation on its structure or material. In addition, as a material of the holder, thermal plastic elastomer, rubber, various soft plastics, urethane rubber, polyurethane and the like can be mentioned. Also,
The liquid passage formed in the holder is formed so as to communicate with the base end of the rod mainly held therein, and there is no particular limitation on the shape and the like.

The discharge section for discharging the sample solution in the liquid passage formed inside the holder may be directly opened to the outside of the holder, and the opening may be sealed with a lid or a plug member. The portion may be formed thin and sealed so that it can be opened, and the sealed portion may be punctured with a sharp object such as a needle to be broken, and furthermore, a knob integrated with the sealed portion is twisted off. It may be of a so-called twist-off type structure that can be broken.

The distal end of the rod, whose base end is held by the holder, is provided with a buffer solution holding a buffer solution for dissolving the collected hemoglobin into a sample solution. Can be kept in the absence state.

The buffer solution holding container is formed of a cylindrical body having a bottom obtained by molding a synthetic resin, and preferably also serves as a scraper in the center of which is formed an opening at the upper end of the through hole through which the rod body is inserted. The stopper is fixed to the opening and sealed by the holder through the stopper, and the main body of the rod is inserted through the through hole of the stopper to hermetically close the buffer holding container. In addition, in order to be able to appropriately wipe feces attached to the rod main body at the time of insertion, it is desirable to use an elastomeric material such as soft rubber or plastic.

[0016]

The fecal occult blood collection device of the present invention quantitatively collects hemoglobin in feces at the distal end of a rod mainly having a uniform uniform fine gap over its entire length, and converts the hemoglobin into a buffer or the like. The sample solution can be dissolved and used as a sample solution, and the obtained sample solution can be directly subjected to the test from the proximal end of the rod, so that an immunological fecal occult blood test can be performed without any complicated operation. .

[0017]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fecal occult blood sampling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the fecal occult blood collection tool 1 of the present invention basically includes a rod main body 2 having a predetermined length and diameter for collecting hemoglobin in feces, and a base end of the rod main body 2. It comprises a holder 3 for holding, and a buffer holding container 6 for dissolving hemoglobin collected by the rod main body 2 to obtain a sample solution.

The rod main body 2 is formed by bonding a polyester fiber bundle with an adhesive to form a fiber structure having a diameter of 1.0 mm, and covering only the outer peripheral surface of the obtained fiber structure with a vinyl chloride resin film. Form a smooth, non-water-absorbing coating layer, cut to a length of about 70 mm, and grind one end to a conical shape with a length of 10 mm, and form the tip surface in a hemispherical shape. This is a sampling unit 2a.

Since the rod main body 2 thus obtained has random and uniform fine gaps over its entire length, the tip 2a is pierced into feces, which is a specimen sample, to stool the feces. If hemoglobin is present, it can be surely adsorbed and held by capillary action simultaneously with other liquid substances.

The base 2 b of the rod body 2 is held by a holder 3. The holder 3 is formed of a soft synthetic resin material. The upper part of the cylindrical main body 3a is tapered to have a conical shape, and the rod main body 3a is positioned at the center of the base end face in the axial direction. A cylindrical holding hole 3b having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the hole is formed, and a cylindrical hole 3c having a smaller diameter than the holding hole 3b is formed to communicate with the holding hole 3b up to near the front end surface. The liquid passage 4 is constituted by the cylindrical hole 3c and a part of the holding hole 3b, and the front end face 5 of the liquid passage 4 is closed. In addition,
The base end of the holder 3 is formed as a plug member for closing an opening of a buffer solution holding container 6 described later.

The buffer solution holding container 6 is a bottomed cylindrical body having a length of 50 mm and an outer diameter of 3.0 mmφ, and is preferably formed of a transparent body of a hard synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene so that the inside can be seen through. Inside, the tip of the rod main body 2 is inserted and held, and is filled with a physiological saline or a specific buffer as needed.
The opening is sealed by the base end of the holder 3.

The opening of the buffer holding container 6 is
As shown in FIG. 2, the rod main body 2 is connected to a tip collecting section 2 a.
The insertion hole 8 tapered downward may be sealed by a stopper member 7 serving also as a scraper provided at the center so that the insertion hole 8 can be inserted from the bottom. This plug member 7
Is made of an elastomeric material such as soft rubber or plastic so that the stool attached to the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the rod main body 2 can be wiped by the insertion hole 8 and inserted and held in the buffer solution holding container 6. Is formed.

At this time, the distal end face of the insertion hole 8 is sealed in advance with a thin film so that the buffer solution does not leak or evaporate, and the rod is filled with a rod if necessary. It may be configured to be opened at the second sampling unit 2a.

The fecal occult blood collection tool 1 is used as follows. First, the holder 3 is extracted from the buffer holding container 6. At this time, the buffer solution holding container 6 is not filled with the buffer solution. Then, after the outer peripheral portion of the holder 3 is held by a finger, the rod main body 2 held by the holder 3 is held.
The sampling portion 2a at the tip of the sample is pierced into the stool, which is a specimen sample, several times by changing the site, or the stool surface is stroked. If hemoglobin is present in the feces by this collection operation, the hemoglobin is adsorbed and held in the collection section 2a together with other liquid substances by the capillary action of the rod main body 2.

When the collection operation from the stool is completed, excess stool attached to the outer peripheral surface of the distal end of the rod main body 2 is wiped off with tissue paper or the like. Buffer holding container 6
However, it is preferable that excess feces be wiped off in advance even in the case of having the plug member 7 also serving as a scraper as shown in FIG.

The rod body 2 after the removal of excess stool
Is inserted into a buffer solution holding container 6 filled with a specific buffer solution in advance, and the opening is sealed by the base end of the holder 3.
From the distal end side to the proximal end side together with the liquid substance in the stool which is sucked up from the collecting part 2a of the rod and becomes a specimen solution while moving from the distal end side to the proximal end side. It is supplied into the passage 4. Since the distal end 5 of the liquid passage 4 is closed, the sample solution supplied into the liquid passage 4 does not leak out unless the distal end 5 is opened.

The sample solution thus obtained holds the buffer solution holding container 6 upside down so that the tip of the holder 3 is positioned downward at the time of inspection, and the tip of the holder 3 suitably sealed by automatic processing or manual means. The sample solution held in the liquid passage 4 by cutting or unsealing the sample solution 5 is used for inspection. When the sample solution is supplied from the liquid passage 4 to the inspection step by manual operation, the outer peripheral portion of the holder 3 is pressed to apply a load to the liquid passage 4 so that the sample solution stored in the liquid passage 4 can be easily removed. It can be ejected.

In the preparation of the sample solution, even if solid matter such as fiber material in feces adheres to the collection part 2a at the tip of the rod body 2 used, the rod body 2 has the same length as described above. Since it is composed of a fibrous structure having uniform and fine gaps randomly over the entire length of the sample, impurities that may interfere with the inspection may be finely filtered by the gaps and mixed into the sample solution. And there is no need for a filter for filtering the sample solution as in the conventional fecal occult blood collection tool.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the holder in the fecal occult blood collection tool of the present invention. The holder 13 mainly includes a divided body 13a which mainly holds the rod main body 12 and forms a base end portion, and this divided body 13a. 13a, which is composed of a divided body 13b which is joined to
The vicinity of the conical tip portion is closed by a blocking portion 16 to form a drip port 15 at the tip, and the other portions are
It has a structure similar to that of FIG. Therefore, the sample solution sucked to the proximal end side by the capillary action of the rod main body 12 is stocked in the liquid passage 14 formed in the divided body 13b, and pierces the sealing portion 16 provided in the divided body 13b with a needle or the like. It is possible to form a dropping port 15 that is opened by being opened, and the sample solution can be similarly drawn out from the dropping port 15.

FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment of the holder in the fecal occult blood collection tool of the present invention. The holder 23 mainly comprises the divided body 23a which mainly holds the rod main body 22 and forms the base end portion, and the distal end portion which forms the base portion. The divided body 23b is connected by a connecting body 23c, and a liquid passage 24 having a relatively large space for storing a considerable amount of the sample solution is formed inside the divided body 23b. Is closed by a sealing portion 26 to form a drip port 25 at the front end. Thus, the sample solution sucked up by the capillary action of the rod main body 22 is
A considerable amount is stored in the space of the liquid passage 24 formed in the divided body 23b, and the closed part 26 provided in the divided body 23b is pierced with a needle or the like to form a drip port 25 opened and opened. The sample solution can be similarly drawn out from the dropping port 25.

The liquid passage 24 having a relatively large space formed in the divided body 23b shown in FIG. 4 prevents the liquid from jumping out of the closed liquid passage at the time of breakage due to the internal pressure generated by the rise of the sample solution. It can be blocked. Therefore, the instrument used for opening does not touch the sample solution, and there is no concern about contamination. Therefore, the equipment can be used a plurality of times without affecting the inspection result.

FIG. 5 shows still another embodiment of the holder of the fecal occult blood collection device of the present invention. A flat knob 36 is provided at the upper end of the holder 33 via a narrow portion 36a which can be easily twisted by finger picking. The liquid passage 34 is integrally formed to have a so-called twist-off type.
6, a closed drip port 35 is formed. The handle member 33 can be easily broken by pinching the finger 36 with a finger and rotating it to twist it from the line A-A. Therefore, the handle member 33 is sucked up by the rod main body 32 and stored in the liquid passage 34. The sample solution can be quickly drawn out from the dropping port 35 to the outside.

[0033]

According to the fecal occult blood collection tool of the present invention, a rod-shaped main body having a capillary action in which uniform and fine gaps are randomly formed over the entire length thereof is used, and only the tip of the rod-based main body is used. Is used as a hemoglobin collection section, and a sample solution is generated by sucking the obtained hemoglobin together with a buffer solution from the distal end to the proximal end, and this sample solution can be supplied to the testing step by appropriate means. The occult blood reaction test can be performed very simply, easily, and quickly.

In particular, the fecal occult blood collection device of the present invention can automatically move hemoglobin contained in stool to the sample solution discharge side together with the buffer solution by utilizing the capillary action of the rod mainly. It has a great advantage in that the configuration of the fecal occult blood collection tool is extremely simplified, the number of parts is reduced, the cost of parts is reduced, and the operation is facilitated.

Further, since the rod itself used has a capillary action and serves as a kind of filter,
Even if impurities such as solids are attached to the collecting section, it can be easily and easily removed without specially providing a filter for removing impurities.

Further, when the obtained sample solution is supplied to the testing step, the liquid passage in which the sample solution is stored can be easily and easily cut or opened by appropriate means. Since the process can be automated, the number of personnel involved in the test can be reduced, and after collecting hemoglobin from feces, no human labor is required until the sample is used in the test process. Can be avoided at all.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a fecal occult blood collection tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the fecal occult blood collection tool of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the holder used in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view showing still another example of the holder used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing still another example of the holder used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fecal occult blood collection tool 2 Rod main body 3 Holder 4 Liquid passage 5 Tip surface of holder 6 Buffer holding container 7 Plug member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Seiji Nishizawa 1-5-5 Mojiri Asahimachi, Akabira-shi, Hokkaido

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A specimen in which a rod main body composed of fiber bundles having uniformly uniform fine gaps is formed at random over its entire length, hemoglobin in feces is collected at the tip of the rod main body, and the hemoglobin is dissolved. A fecal occult blood collection tool characterized in that a solution is discharged from a base end of a rod. 2. A rod main body made of a fiber bundle having randomly uniform fine gaps over its entire length and having substantially non-water-absorbing portions other than a tip end and a base end; A holder that holds the base end, communicates with the base end, and has a liquid passage formed therein for discharging a sample solution in which hemoglobin dissolved from the distal end of the rod main body is dissolved to the analyzer. A fecal occult blood collection tool characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. A rod main body made of a fiber bundle having a randomly uniform fine gap over its entire length and having substantially non-water-absorbing portions other than a tip end and a base end; A holder that holds the base end and communicates with the base end, and that has a liquid passage formed therein for discharging a sample solution in which hemoglobin is dissolved from the distal end of the rod main body to the analyzer; And a buffer holding container whose opening is sealed by the holder while holding the tip of the stool inside. 4. The rod body according to claim 1, wherein the main body of the rod is formed by combining a synthetic resin fiber bundle with an adhesive to form a fiber structure and forming a capillary portion over the entire length. A fecal occult blood sampling tool according to the present invention. 5. The rod main body is formed by combining a synthetic resin fiber bundle with an adhesive to form a fiber structure, forming a capillary portion over the entire length, and an outer surface other than the distal end portion and the proximal end portion or the proximal end surface. The fecal occult blood collection tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a smooth and non-water-absorbing coating layer is formed by coating or laminating. 6. The holder has a holding hole at a center portion for holding a base end portion of the rod main body, and forms a liquid passage communicating with the holding hole to discharge a sample solution out of the holder. 4. The stool according to claim 2, wherein the end of the liquid passage is opened and closed, and the sample solution is discharged to the outside by opening the sealed portion. Occult blood collection tool. 7. The holder is provided with a holding hole at a center portion for holding a base end portion of the rod main body, and a space portion for communicating with the holding hole and storing a sample solution sucked up by capillary action. Forming a liquid passage, forming a thin part of the liquid passage, and opening the thin part to discharge the sample solution to the outside. Or the fecal occult blood collection tool according to 3. 8. The fecal occult blood collection device according to claim 6, wherein the closed end of the holder is configured to puncture the sealed portion to break it. 9. The fecal occult blood collection device according to claim 6, wherein the closed end of the holder is opened by twisting off a knob provided integrally with the sealing portion. . 10. The buffer holding container according to claim 1, wherein a stopper serving as a scraper having a through hole through which the rod body is inserted is formed at the center, and the stopper is sealed by the holder via the stopper. 4. The fecal occult blood collection device according to claim 3, wherein the fecal occult blood is collected.