microsampling applications in pediatrics: when smaller is better

Microsampling in pediatrics is a breakthrough in comfort and emotional safety for children. It provides greater comfort and convenience for the adults around them. And it’s not just a better pediatric patient experience now - it enables research that can improve conditions for children and perhaps save their lives down the line.

Less Pain

Children don't experience pain or stress in the same way adults do. They can't fully understand why they're being subjected to scary procedures such as venipuncture - in addition to the pain of a blood draw, they must suffer from uncertainty and a loss of control.

Microsampling is, simply put, easier for children. One quick skin prick, and a precise, volumetrically accurate sample of blood can be quickly absorbed into the tip of a Mitra^® device. And it's handled.

According to patient satisfaction data, a whopping 93% of surveyed patients who used our microsampling devices said they would be “likely” or “very likely” to choose microsampling over venipuncture were they making the choice on behalf of a child. This speaks to the powerful applications for microsampling technology in the fraught realm of pediatric care.

Less Blood

In standard venipuncture procedures, pediatricians and clinicians must take care and control the amounts of blood that are drawn. Too much, and a child's health can be put at risk.

Thanks to advances in technology, it is now possible to get much more information from much smaller volumes of blood. Mitra microsampling devices draw and wick precise volumes of 10, 20, or 30 microliters. It's not enough to affect the child, but it's enough to achieve some wondrous results.

Less Stress

Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling (VAMS™) technology was developed to solve for the limitations of traditional dried blood spot (DBS) collection systems. Dried capillary blood sampling has long been used as a novel, more convenient, less stressful alternative to venipuncture. By solving for the hematocrit bias, VAMS technology and the Mitra device are opening up lots of exciting new applications for capillary blood sampling.

The most exciting among these is remote sampling. Remote sampling allows anyone to collect dried blood samples anywhere, at any time, with minimal training. In the context of pediatrics, this means that parents and caregivers can sample children at home, or anywhere else, forgoing expensive and unpleasant travel to clinics and long, boring hours in waiting rooms. It keeps families and communities together and helps children and parents maintain the support systems they need to be healthy.

Less Complexity

A lab workflow based on microsampling is simpler, allowing for the elimination of cumbersome steps and expensive equipment, along with much time, labor, and expense. It's easy to ship dried samples from remote locations to the central lab - no biohazard or cold chain shipping is required.

It's Catching On

The widespread adoption of microsampling in pediatrics is only beginning. Already, remarkable results are being achieved in a variety of settings around the world.

All-star researchers in Belgium recently validated the use of VAMS for at-home blood collection to monitor the HbA1c levels in diabetic children. Swiss TPM is using it for pediatric PK studies in Côte d'Ivoire. Remarkable new projects show remarkable new promise. Neoteryx and the Mitra microsampling device are breaking through borders and barriers to better pediatric healthcare, around the world and at home.

It is our sacred responsibility - as leaders in pediatric medicine, as adults, and as humans - to improve conditions for children. Microsampling makes pediatric patients happier in the short term and better off in the long term, which is one of the main reasons it's changing the way we think about blood collection.

Welcome to the future of pediatric blood sampling. We support our customers in doing this crucial work. Contact a Microsampling Specialist today to learn more.