Using a microneedle, Seventh Sense Biosystems is developing a blood-draw device that will make getting patient’s blood a lot easier, as it is painless touch-activated phlebotomy (TAP). The device “penetrates the uppermost layers of the skin, along with a proprietary microfluidic extraction mechanism that draws blood in a painless, one-step process and leaves a mosquito bite-sized impression in the skin.”
This device can be used anywhere – at hospitals, in clinics and even at home! With so many blood tests being used now to help with diagnosing patients, along with new tests being discovered, a device like this will be used quite frequently!
What about using a device like this for donating blood? Having a donor’s blood drawn painlessly will make more donors open to donating more and should also bring in new donors who may have a fear of needles or don’t like the pain associated with donating. Nothing has been mentioned yet about using something like this for collecting blood donations, but with the development of TAP there is a good possibility we can expect something similar in the Blood Donor Recruitment field in the near future!