The invention relates to a lancing device (1) for taking blood samples, comprising a housing (2), an axially displaceable lancet holder element (32) for holding a lancet (12), and a display apparatus (40) for displaying the respective operating states (41,42) of the lancing device (1), the display apparatus (40) comprising a release element (13) for initiating a lancing procedure, in which the axially displaceable lancet holder element (32) is accelerated in a lancing direction (18), in which, when the lancing device (1) is in an operating state (41) ready for lancing, the release element (13) is arranged in a disengaged display position (43) projecting further outwards over the outer housing surface (15) than when the lancing device (1) is in a different operating state (42).

A protecting mechanism for a blood sampling device contains: a trigger unit and a switching assembly. The trigger unit includes a lancet holder, a triggering shaft, and a resilient element. The lancet holder has a launching portion, a first outer protrusion, a through orifice, and a first inner shoulder, wherein a bottom end of the triggering shaft moves in the through hole, and the triggering shaft has a first outer shoulder for engaging with the first inner shoulder of lancet holder, the resilient element is fitted with the triggering shaft and abuts against the lancet holder by ways of its bottom end. The switching assembly includes a fixing jacket having an abutting portion, a rotating tube having a first inner protrusion and two opposite second inner protrusions, and a driving sheath having two stopping sets, wherein each stopping set has two second outer protrusions.

A lancing device (121) substantially reduces wobble in a lancet (151) used to lance a site. The lancet (151) is removably received by a cartridge (161), which is movably received by the lancing device (121). The lancet (151) is movable between a first position in which a penetrating member (153) connected to the lancet (151) is unexposed and a second position in which the penetrating member is exposed outside of the lancing device (121) for lancing a site. A spring (171) is connected to the cartridge (161) to return the lancet (151) to the first position after the site is lanced.

A lancing device having a housing with a proximal end, a distal end and a longitudinal axis. The lancing device also has a lancet carrier translationally supported with respect to the housing. The lancet carrier has a proximal end and a distal end. The lancing device additionally has a charging mechanism and/or an ejection mechanism adapted to pivot into the lancing device for engaging portions of the lancet carrier to perform the same.

Provided is a puncture needle that receives lower puncture resistance than conventional techniques. A puncture needle in accordance with an aspect of the present invention includes a needle body (10) that includes a main portion (12) and a distal portion (11) tapering from the main portion (12) and that is rotatable about a central axis (1) of the needle body (10), the needle body (10) including needle parts (15) separated by a boundary along the central axis, each of the needle parts (15) being independently translatable along the central axis (1).

A lancing device including a latch that pivots between a non-blocking position allowing a lancet carrier and a lancet to advance and retract through a first forward and reverse lancing stroke and a blocking position preventing further/excess/secondary oscillation of the lancet carrier and lancet. The pivotal latch can pivot about an axis perpendicular (e.g., for an L-shaped latch) or parallel/coaxial (e.g., for a sleeve latch) to the advancement and retraction motion of the lancet carrier and lancet.

A point-of-care diagnostic system that includes a cartridge and a reader. The cartridge can contain a patient sample, such as a blood sample. The cartridge is inserted into the reader and the patient sample is analyzed. The reader contains various analysis systems, such as an electrophoresis detection system that uses electrophoresis testing to identify and quantify various components of the blood sample. The reader can process data from the various patient sample analysis to provide interpretative results indicative of a disorder, condition, disease and/or infection of the patient.

A lancing device comprising a lancet holder for holding an exchangeable lancet and comprising a drive element for driving the lancet holder. The drive element has two spring elements comprising a lancing spring element for accelerating the lancet holder in the lancing direction and a restoring spring element for accelerating the lancet holder counter to the lancing direction. The drive element has a carriage unit with a spring-tensioning carriage part and a lancing carriage part, and the spring-tensioning carriage part and the lancing carriage part are arranged to be displaceable in translation relative to one another and form a lancing spring element receiving region and a restoring spring element receiving region. The lancing spring element receiving region can be reduced by translational displacement of the spring-tensioning carriage part relative to the lancing carriage part, in order to pre-tension the lancing spring element within the lancing spring element receiving region.

The present invention includes a system for withdrawing body fluids. The system includes a drive unit having a plunger which is moved from a resting position into a lancing position in order to carry out a lancing process and a lancing unit containing a lancet with a needle. The plunger and lancet are coupled together by a form fit in order to carry out a lancing process. The invention additionally concerns a method for temporarily extending a needle from a device for withdrawing body fluid as well as a lancing unit that can be attached to the drive unit.

An integrated-testing system includes a meter, a lancing device and a storage case. The meter includes a housing, a display and a processor. The storage case holds the meter and the lancing device in a relatively fixed position to each other. The meter and the lancing device are maintained in the storage case in the relatively fixed position until a fluid sample is desired, at which time a first portion of the lancing device is advanced to a position external to the storage case to obtain the fluid sample and a second portion of the lancing device remains relatively fixed in the storage case while the fluid sample is obtained.