capillary blood sampling: what it is, how it works, why it matters

Considering how much technological innovation is impacting and shaping healthcare, it's a bit odd that so many medical and research practices remain reliant on traditional venipuncture. Anyone who works with wet blood - or has their blood taken - is aware of its limitations.

The good news is that capillary blood sampling is becoming a more practical alternative. The hurdles to its widespread adoption are being overcome, it is beginning to proliferate more widely, and its applications are becoming more useful.

Here are a few reasons to consider capillary blood collection, especially if you weren't ready to in the past.

Finger-Stick Capillary Blood Sampling Is Simpler

Capillary blood sampling offers a less painful, less stressful sampling event (usually requiring only the quick prick of a fingertip), and the method also offers significant logistical advantages.

No dry ice or refrigeration for cold-chain shipping or storage is required. Finger-stick microsampling delivers dried blood samples, which can be shipped and analyzed using a dried blood spot (DBS) workflow.

This frees up time and budget for more important purposes.

Microsampling Is Person-Centric

Studies show that patients and study participants prefer capillary blood sampling using a quick finger-stick method over other methods. It is particularly preferred over traditional venipuncture, which involves a needle puncture in the arm.

Capillary blood sampling is considered an important missing link in patient-centric medicine. It's more comfortable, and it allows patients greater convenience and agency... (watch the video to learn more):

Microsampling Can Happen Anywhere

With capillary blood sampling using a finger-stick methods at home, patients and study participants can forego visits to the clinic and wave goodbye to their phlebotomists.

With minimal training, almost anyone can perform a basic microsampling procedure in almost any location. This allows patients to take greater agency in their own care. Remote microsampling is convenient, and makes it easier to recruit volunteers for a clinical trial.

Microsampling Works for Anyone, Anywhere

Gone are the days when capillary blood samples had to be awkwardly dripped onto special DBS cards. Mitra^® devices based on volumetric absorptive microsampling technology offer an easy method of precise capillary blood sampling.

This device allows anyone to take quantitative, volumetrically accurate samples, as easily as if they were monitoring their blood glucose at home, or even swabbing their ears. This method is a benefit to researchers and clinical labs as well, because it eliminates the hematocrit bias that once compromised dried blood spot (DBS) test results. Now, capillary blood samples can generate results that correlate with those from wet blood.

For professionals working in healthcare, science, pharmaceutical drug development, and research, it's time to embrace the new potential of blood sampling.

Image & Video Credits: Trajan, Neoteryx