BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has announced that it obtained the CE mark in the UK and Europe for a next-generation blood separation technology that is designed to enhance sample quality, improve laboratory efficiency and reduce laboratory turnaround time. BD Vacutainer Barricor tube is a single-use, plastic evacuated tube used to collect, separate, transport and process venous blood specimens to obtain high-quality plasma for in vitro diagnostic use.
The design complements BD Vacutainer evacuated blood collection tubes, and continues BD’s track-record in ensuring best practice in the collection, transportation and processing of blood samples. BD Barricor tubes are optimised to deliver a high quality plasma sample by reducing cellular content (vs. plasma gel tubes), as a result of the mechanical separator remaining open throughout the centrifugation cycle. It eliminates gel artefacts which can lead to instrument downtime. These factors together with longer sample stability can significantly improve the sample and laboratory workflow.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Pathology, with 60% to 70% of the required information on a patient’s chart coming from laboratory test results, there is a high demand for rapid test turnaround time among clinicians. BD Barricor tubes deliver a faster time-to-result for patients – with no clotting time required and a reduction in centrifugation time of up to 7 minutes, an overall saving in turnaround time of 37 minutes is possible.
“Laboratory technicians are forced to choose between a clean sample with serum and a fast sample with plasma,” said Mike Fairbourn, vice president and general manager, UK and Ireland at BD. “BD Barricor tubes eliminate this trade-off, providing a cleaner and faster plasma sample than current methods.”
The new BD Vacutainer Barricor Plasma Blood Collection tube features innovative separator technology, providing a cleaner plasma sample with less cellular contamination, meaning the sample is more stable and allows a longer window to conduct testing when compared to existing blood separation tubes.
