SAFETY NEEDLE FOR AIDS DIAGNOSTIC SAMPLES

AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF DIAGNOSTICS HAS BEEN DANGEROUSLY UNDERESTIMATED AND NEGLECTED. FOR OVER 100 YEARS, THE SAME NOW ANTIQUATED, BLOOD SAMPLING PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN USED WITH LITTLE CONCERN FOR THE SPREAD OF BLOOD-BORNE DISEASE. EVEN TODAY, WITH THE ADVENT OF SOPHISTICATED "HIGH TECH" DIAGNOSTICS, BLOOD IS GROSSLY SMEARED OVER PATIENT PHLEBOTOMIST, AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE SAMPLING AREA. BASED ON PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY STUDIES, CONSIDERABLE COULD EASILY BE MADE. A PATENT IS PENDING FOR A ONE-USE INEXPENSIVE, SAFE, SELF-CONTAINED SAMPLING AND DILUTING DEVICE THAT TAKES ONLY THE CUTANEOUS BLOOD FROM A PRECISE "NICK" NECESSARY FOR TESTING, SPREADS NO EXCESS, AND DILUTESAND STORES IT FOR TRANSPORT TO THE TESTING SITE. NEITHER BLOOD NOR CONTAMINATED PARTS ARE EXPOSED, AND THE PROCEDURE IS ESSENTIALLY NONIVASIVE. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IS PROPOSED INVOLVING DEVICE IMPROVEMENT TO MAKE SAMPLE TAKING MORE REPRODUCIBLE. SMALL PARTS FROM A SINGLE CAVITY MOD ARE TO BE MODIFIED TO MAXIMIZE THEIR FUNCTION. SAFETY IS TO BE EVALUATED IN ANIMAL/CYTOTOXICITY TESTS. A LIMITED NUMBER OF HUMAN TESTS ARE TO BE CONDUCTED.