Puncture Performance of Blood Collection Tube Stoppers: Interactions with Manual Needles and Automated Probes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Conventional halogenated butyl rubber closures for vacuum blood collection tubes present challenges such as needle-induced debris and compromised sample integrity.
• These limitations can lead to increased preanalytical errors and interfere with sensitive molecular assays like PCR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the structure and formulation of rubber stoppers used in blood collection tubes.
• To assess the wear resistance, anti-puncture performance, and puncture debris characteristics of various rubber stoppers and blood collection needles.

Main Methods:

• Examined the structure and formulation of rubber stoppers, primarily bromobutyl rubber (BIIR) and chlorinated butyl rubber (CIIR).
• Assessed wear resistance and puncture performance using 10 brands of tube caps and Mindray 7500 and Sysmex XN1500 needles.
• Photographed and measured puncture resistance before and after multiple needle punctures.

Main Results:

• All tested rubber stoppers, both domestic and international, demonstrated good wear resistance and met national standards.
• Blood collection needles remained undamaged after 20 punctures on 10 different tube caps, and even after 50-100 punctures on high-wear tubes.
• The Mindray 7500 needle exhibited less wear and lower puncture resistance on high-wear and domestic tubes compared to the Sysmex XN1500 needle.

Conclusions:

• A single blood collection needle is capable of performing at least 20 punctures on a variety of vacuum blood collection tube stoppers.
• Performance variations exist between needle types and tube cap brands, with implications for preanalytical sample quality.