More than 70% of all medical decisions are based on laboratory results obtained from human blood. In this context, the quality of the samples can be strongly influenced and even falsified, not least by their storage and transportation. In order to make laboratory medical results even safer, the intelligent blood tube "SmartTube©" was developed to advance the digitalization and automation of the pre-analytical supply chain, i.e. from the collection of individual samples to their storage and subsequent transport.
For this purpose, a conventional blood tube is equipped with a sensory unit. This is then sent from the doctor's office or clinic to the analysis laboratory with the blood samples to be analyzed in a sample rack or transport bag. During transport, relevant interfering factors that affect the quality of the sample - such as an excessively high or low temperature, strong temperature fluctuations or even falls - are recorded. Once in the analysis laboratory, the sensor unit is read out contactlessly by a gateway and the seamless data is integrated in real time into the laboratory information system for further analysis. Thus, the "SmartTube©" drives the digitalization of the logistic processes between medical sampling and analytical laboratory testing by taking into account crucial boundary conditions such as temperature influence or sample age. This significantly reduces the pre-analytical error rate of clinical diagnostics and significantly increases the quality level through the qualitative evaluation of samples.
