The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a new robotic device that can autonomously draw blood from a patient’s arm without hands-on operator intervention. Designed for adult outpatient blood collection, the robot essentially performs the entire venipuncture. First it uses near-infrared imaging and Doppler ultrasound to identify an appropriate vein, then applies the tourniquet, disinfects the skin, inserts the needle, changes collection tubes, disposes the needle, and applies a bandage. A trial involving 1,633 …
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