New disposable plastic syringe for collecting and centrifuging blood.

Collecting blood for haematological and biochemical analysis is not as simple a task as it may seem to be. It must be carefully conducted, and the handling of blood after collection must be reduced to a minimum to avoid changes in its composition. Glass syringes used for this purpose are now largely replaced by disposable plastic syringes. Since the plunger provides a good seal it excels the glass syringe, especially when one needs 'anaerobic' whole blood, plasma or serum. Because there is no leakage between the barrel and the plunger, it is no longer necessary to use liquid petrolatum. Unfortunately, like the glass syringe, it has an inherent handicap in that it does not allow the centrifugation of blood. It is apparent that if blood could be centrifuged in the syringe in which it is collected this would lessen its handling, thus saving time, work, and glassware. The device designed by Gabardi and Davenport (1949) did not solve the problem for it almost doubles the size of the syringe and requires longer buckets and larger centrifuges which are not usually found in small laboratories.