Abstract: Blood samples can be collected without substantial contamination from ambient air, such that the blood sample may be analysed accurately for gaseous components such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. An embodiment of th device has integrated actuation, lancing, and sample acquisition components, which in some embodiments are miniaturized and/or disposable.

Abstract: Abstract: A lancing device, an embodiment of which controls the advancement and retraction of a lancet by monitoring the position of the lancet in conjunction with a lancet controller which incorporates a feedback loop for modulating the lancet driver to follow a predetermined tissue lancing profile.

Abstract: A cassette containing cartridges for sampling blood from a patient. The cassette includes a container for storing a plurality of cartridges and at least one cartridge in the container. The cartridge includes a cartridge case and a lancet. The lancet has a tip and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet can be driven to extend the tip outside the cartridge case for lancing the skin of the patient to yield blood. The container has a compartment that contains at least one cartridge. A cartridge from the compartment can be loaded onto a glucometer that drives the lancet in the cartridge to lance the skin of a patient.

Abstract: A device for sampling and analyzing a physiological fluid from the skin of a patient by puncture. The device includes a body and sensors. The body has a needle with a point for puncturing a physiological tissue and a channel in the body for conducting the physiological fluid away from the point. The sensors are located in the body and are accessible to the physiological fluid conducting along the channel for physiological fluid analysis. The device can be used to lance the skin and obtain a representative sample of the physiological fluid, with relatively simple procedures and quick analysis to minimize the exposure of the physiological fluid sample to air.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for minimizing a subject's pain perception during an invasive medical procedure, such as blood sampling and the like. The apparatus can include a receiving surface constructed to contact a portion of the subject's skin and a vibratory mechanism associated with the receiving surface such that the vibratory mechanism transmits vibrations through the receiving surface and to the subject's skin. An invasive sharp can be substantially permanently supported and moveably disposed with respect to the receiving surface such that the invasive sharp reciprocates between a first position in which the sharp is spaced from the receiving surface, away from the subject's skin, and a second position in which at least a portion of the sharp protrudes through an opening in the receiving surface.

Abstract: A cartridge for sampling and analyzing blood from the skin of a patient. The cartridge has a cartridge case, a lancet, and associated with the cartridge case an analytical region for analyzing the property of blood. The lancet has a tip for lancing the skin and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet is operatively connected to the cartridge case such that the lancet can be pushed to extend its tip outside the cartridge case for lancing the skin to yield blood. The blood from the lancing wound is transferred to the analytical region and be analyzed.

Abstract: A cassette containing cartridges for sampling blood from a patient. The cassette includes a container for storing a plurality of cartridges and at least one cartridge in the container. The cartridge includes a cartridge case and a lancet. The lancet has a tip and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet can be driven to extend the tip outside the cartridge case for lancing the skin of the patient to yield blood. The container has a compartment that contains at least one cartridge. A cartridge from the compartment can be loaded onto a glucometer that drives the lancet in the cartridge to lance the skin of a patient.

Abstract: A blood sampling apparatus for sampling blood from the skin of a patient for analysis. The apparatus includes a cartridge and a housing with a driver. The cartridge has a cartridge case, lancet, and a compartment associated with the cartridge case for receiving blood. The lancet is housed in the cartridge case and operatively connected thereto such that it is drivable to extend outside the cartridge case through a lancing opening for lancing the skin to yield blood. The housing has a driver for urging the lancet to extend outside the cartridge case. During lancing, the cartridge is preferably detachably held in the housing such that the cartridge can be disassociated from the driver after sampling blood.

Abstract: A blood sampling device for penetrating skin to obtain a blood sample is disclosed. The blood sampling device has a blade structure that can be extended from a housing to pierce the skin and then retracted. The blade structure has at least two blades each including a cutting edge. The blades abut one another to form a rigid joint from which the blades extend. The blades each have a distal portion in which the distance from the rigid joint to the cutting edge decreases towards and terminates at a sharp point at a distal end. Each blade generally forms an angle less than 180 degrees with at least one neighboring blade. This structure decreases the tendency of the blade structure to flex as the distal end of the blade structure penetrates the skin to yield blood.

Abstract: A blood analysis apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing. The apparatus including a cartridge and a driver. The cartridge includes a cartridge case and a lancet. The lancet has a tip and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet can be driven to extend the tip outside the cartridge case through an opening for lancing the skin of the patient to yield blood. The driver drives the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin. The driver is triggerable by the skin which is to be lanced exerting a force exceeding a preset amount against the triggering mechanism of the apparatus, to drive the lancet toward the skin.