METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING BLOOD FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

A nosepiece suitable for use with a blood collection apparatus, said nosepiece comprises: (i) a lower base having an opening therein; (ii) an upper base having an opening therein; and (iii) an interior wall joining said upper base and said lower base, the area of said opening in said upper base being equal to or less than the area of said opening in said lower base; the nosepiece is suitable for use in a method and apparatus for obtaining a sample of blood from a patient for subsequent diagnostic tests, e.g., glucose monitoring. One such method comprises the steps of: (a) forming an unobstructed opening in the area of the skin from which the sample of blood is to be extracted; and (b) extracting the sample of blood from the unobstructed opening in the skin, with the aid of a vacuum and a stretching of the skin. One such apparatus comprises: (a) a device for forming an unobstructed opening in an area of skin from which said sample is to be extracted, preferably a lancing assembly; and (b) a vacuum pump. Preferably, the apparatus also includes a housing. A pneumatic lancing assembly is also provided. The pneumatic lancing assembly uses differential gas pressure to thrust a lancet into skin tissue. In another aspect of this invention, an article is provided for an article capable of both collecting blood and detecting an analyte in that blood. The article, which contains an appropriate detection element for determining the amount of analyte in the blood, can be used in conjunction with a meter that measures the signal generated by the detection element of the article.