Medical sample transportation container
Inventors
Jarvius, Jonas • Lind, Anders • Soderstrom, Henrik • Grawe, Jan • Fitzpatrick, Ian • Bartholdi, Jurg
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12247192-B2
Publication Date
2025-03-11
Expiration Date
Abstract
A portable apparatus and method for transport and incubation of a medical sample in a blood culture flask includes a sealable container having a thermally insulated compartment for receiving the blood culture flask and a heater for heating the medical sample to a temperature suitable for pre-culturing of the sample. An agitator is provided for agitating the sample in the blood culture flask.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a method for handling a medical sample in a blood culture flask in a portable, hand-held apparatus that simultaneously transports and incubates the medical sample. The apparatus includes a sealable container with a thermally insulated compartment for receiving the blood culture flask, a heater, and an agitator, and the method includes placing the blood culture flask in the thermally insulated compartment and transporting the medical sample.
The medical sample is pre-cultured by heating the medical sample to a temperature suitable for pre-culturing to promote growth of microorganisms, while the thermally insulated compartment and the heating keep the medical sample at the temperature suitable for pre-culturing during transporting. During transportation and pre-culturing, the agitator agitates the medical sample in the blood culture flask.
The disclosed system is linked to downstream medical sample testing including aliquot extraction, microorganism identification, and nucleic-acid detection of antimicrobial resistance markers after separating DNA from a test aliquot. The workflow includes determining whether one or more genetic antimicrobial resistance markers are present and continuing culture, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim includes one inventive method for simultaneously transporting and pre-culturing a blood sample in a blood culture flask using a portable hand-held apparatus with a sealable thermally insulated container, a heater, and an agitator. The dependent refinements add temperature monitoring/control and agitation monitoring/control, and extend the downstream workflow to nucleic-acid testing of genetic antimicrobial resistance markers followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Simultaneous transportation and incubation in a portable hand-held apparatus
A method for handling a medical sample in a blood culture flask, wherein the medical sample is a blood sample, including simultaneous transportation and incubation of the medical sample in a portable, hand-held apparatus for transport and incubation, comprising a sealable container having a thermally insulated compartment for receiving the blood culture flask, a heater, and an agitator, and further including placing the blood culture flask in the thermally insulated compartment and transporting the medical sample.
Heated pre-culturing during transportation using thermally insulated compartment
Pre-culturing the medical sample by, with the heater, heating the medical sample to a temperature suitable for pre-culturing to promote growth of microorganisms, wherein the thermally insulated compartment and the heating are used to keep the medical sample at the temperature suitable for pre-culturing during the transporting of the medical sample.
Agitation of the blood culture flask during transportation and pre-culturing
With the agitator, agitating the medical sample in the blood culture flask during transportation and pre-culturing of the medical sample.
Overall claim coverage centers on a portable method that combines sealable thermal insulation, heating to a pre-culturing suitable temperature, and agitation of the blood culture flask during transportation, with dependent refinements that add temperature monitoring/control, agitation monitoring/control, and downstream nucleic-acid testing for genetic antimicrobial resistance markers followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Stated Advantages
Reduced transport-to-action time and reduced time-to-answer.
Improved organism growth at elevated temperature during heated, agitated pre-culturing compared to room temperature.
Documented Applications
A medical sample testing system where an aliquot is extracted from a blood culture flask, DNA is separated from the aliquot, nucleic-acid tests are performed to identify a microorganism and determine whether one or more genetic antimicrobial resistance markers are present, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing is performed.
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