EKF Diagnostics DiaSpect Tm, User Manual

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DiaSpect Tm User Manual
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7. Specimen Collection and Preparation for Analysis
Capillary blood or venous whole blood containing K2-EDTA or lithium heparin
anticoagulant may be used.
7.1. Capillary Sampling
With gloved hands, take a DiaSpect Tm Cuvette out of the foil bag and close the
bag. Make sure the hand is warm and relaxed. Use the middle or ring finger for
sampling. Avoid fingers with rings on.
1. Disinfect and dry the puncture site.
2. Gently massage the finger towards the tip to increase blood flow. Avoid going
past the first knuckle.
3. Make the incision on the upward-facing side of the fingertip, so that the blood
drop sits on top of the finger, to facilitate filling of the cuvette.
4. Apply light pressure towards the fingertip (but not past the first knuckle) until
a blood drop appears. Wipe away the first 3 drops and make sure there is a
free blood flow before filling the cuvette with the fourth drop.
5. Be sure to have a sufficient sized blood drop to fill the cuvette. Fill the
cuvette completely by touching the corner of the cuvette to the blood drop.
Do not refill the cuvette. If a cuvette cannot be filled in one continuous
process, or if the cuvette contains air bubbles, discard the cuvette and use a
new one, repeating steps 4 and 5.
6. Gently wipe off the excess blood on the outside of the cuvette with a gauze
pad. Be sure to gently wipe both sides. Do not wipe too close to the open end
as this can draw blood out of the cuvette.