Hybrid Blood Collection Tubes: Combining the Best Attributes of Glass and Plastic for Safety and Shelf life

SiO₂ Medical Products, Inc. developed hybrid blood collection tubes (BCTs) that combine the breakage resistance of plastic and a shelf life approaching that of glass. These blended attributes provide improved BCT safety and reliability for patients and clinical workers. A shelf life of at least 2 y with less than 10% draw volume variation was demonstrated on evacuated hybrid BCTs, which is approximately 7 times longer than standard polyethylene terephthalate (PET) BCTs. This translates into more consistent and reliable blood draw volumes over a longer shelf life. The moisture vapor barrier of hybrid BCTs is 5 times lower than that of PET BCTs, which significantly reduces preservative evaporation over their shelf life. As a result, the risk of preservative gelation and alteration to the blood-to-preservative ratio mix is practically eliminated. Cyclic olefin polymer (COP) exhibits superior impact resistance to breakage because of its high ductility and impact strength and is not influenced by defects and flaws as is glass. Although COP has a mechanical toughness comparable with that of PET, it maintains this over a wider range of temperatures (-70 to 121 °C). As a result, COP can tolerate steam sterilization and cold storage temperatures without mechanical fatigue, deformation, or breakage. Lastly, extreme centrifugation of water-filled BCTs did not impose breakage of any kind.