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A Novel Device that Reduces Preparation Times and Precision Mass Error in Patch Testing for Allergic Contact
Joseph Schanbacher1, Peter C Schalock2
1From the Master of Science in Law (Medical Focus), Northwestern University, Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, IL.
Background:
Patch test preparation for evaluation of allergic contact dermatitis is traditionally a slow process with inherent errors.
Objective:
A novel device, referred to as a syringer, designed to dispense 10 unique petroleum-based haptens simultaneously, significantly reduces preparation time and increases the precision of the mass dispensed per well.
Methods:
The syringer was custom designed and "printed" through the use of a 3-dimensional printer with a polylactic acid plastic medium.
Results:
The syringer dispensed 10 haptens significantly (P < 0.05) faster: 6.9 seconds on average, compared with 29.6 seconds by the traditional method. The syringer demonstrated a significantly (P < 0.05) lower average deviation of each strip's per-well mass average compared with the traditional method.
Conclusions:
In practice, this syringer is ideal for preparing patient-ready patch tests in quantities of 2 identical strips or more.
