Capillary Tubes

[Joe]

Question: What exactly are capillary tubes and how do they help in getting blood for testing? Are they a lanclet? I have not been able to get info as to how they work and no one in my area supplies them! Medical supply stores say they are normally a pharmacy item, but I have found no pharmacys who stock or can get them. Sounds screwy to me. The QAS nurse did not recommend them with protime tester, says they create air bubbles. Tommy, was it you that said the trick was not to release all the blood from the tube?
Please advise...........................

Joe in MO.

 

[catwoman]

Joe:

Do you have an INRatio or a ProTime 3?

You can use capillary tubes with the INRatio, but not with the ProTime 3.

 

[Ross]

What are capillary tubes? http://van.physics.uiuc.edu/qa/listing.php?id=2219

I'm almost positive that they won't hold enough blood for testing with Protime units.

 

[Marty]

Hi Joe, I have used capillary tubes for nine years now. For some reason I could never get a good drop of blood on the strip for testing with any regularity. I told my friend David Phillips then detailing for Coaguchek(now with INRatio) and he tipped me off about the capillary tubes and everything has worked well since. I can tell you for sure that they will not work with the ProTime which needs more blood than the tube can draw up.They are hard to find at pharmacies. They seem to be a lab thing and clinical labs have lots of them around. I get mine from Tapestry Medical 1-877-262-4669. They come in little round containers containg 100 tubes plus a bunch of rubber plungers(used to squirt the blood on to the strip). To avoid air bubbles, always leave a tiny bit of blood in the tube so you don't squirt air on the strip. Give 'em a try! Good Luck.

 

[geebee]

QAS has them for use with the INRatio (this tube would not have enough blood for the ProTime brand machine):

http://www.shopqas.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=152

 

[Marty]

QAS has them for use with the INRatio (this tube would not have enough blood for the ProTime brand machine):

http://www.shopqas.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=152

I tried these tubes and never could get them to work right. The Roche tubes are much better and easier to use.

 

[geebee]

I tried these tubes and never could get them to work right. The Roche tubes are much better and easier to use.

Maybe these are different from the ones I used to use. I have been managing to get the blood in the well without tubes lately so I stopped using them.