Integrated Swab Test Strip for Closed Hazardous Surface Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting hazardous contaminants like antineoplastic agents require manual handling of swabs, leading to potential exposure risks and delayed results, and lack efficient surface coverage and quick detection capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A collection device with an integrated swab and test strip that provides a fluid-tight transfer mechanism, allowing for safe handling and immediate detection of contaminants, including trace amounts, by using an immunoassay device for rapid results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual handling of swabs is used for contaminant collection, then the collection process is simple and low-cost, but user exposure to hazardous agents increases and safety decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the swab collection device with the test device into a single integrated unit. The swab is positioned within the test device housing, and the sample transfer mechanism is built-in, eliminating the need for separate handling steps and reducing user exposure to hazardous contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated sample transfer mechanism that acts as an intermediary between the swab and the test device. This mechanism transfers the sample without requiring direct user contact with the contaminated swab, thereby protecting the user from hazardous exposure.
2Ease of operation
If small cotton swabs are used for sampling, then the device is simple and easy to handle, but surface coverage area is limited and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a swab mechanism that can be compressed and expanded. When compressed, the swab fits within the device housing; when expanded, it covers a larger surface area, enabling efficient sampling of extensive surfaces while maintaining ease of handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The swab is nested within the test device housing in a compressed state. Upon activation, the swab expands outward to cover a larger surface area. This nested configuration allows the device to maintain a compact, easy-to-handle form while enabling large surface coverage during operation.
3Measurement precision
If samples are sent to outside laboratories for testing, then specialized equipment can be used, but testing time is significantly delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The test device is designed to perform multiple functions: it houses the swab, provides the sample transfer mechanism, contains the test chamber, and displays results. This multi-functionality enables rapid on-site testing while maintaining accuracy comparable to laboratory equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the testing function from centralized laboratories and brings it to the point of sample collection through a portable test device. This extraction enables immediate on-site testing, eliminating the time delay associated with transporting samples to external laboratories.
4Reliability
If separate collection and testing devices are used, then each device can be optimized for its specific function, but device complexity increases and ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the collection device and test device into a single integrated unit. The housing contains both the swab mechanism and the test chamber, with built-in sample transfer capabilities. This integration maintains functional optimization while reducing overall system complexity and improving ease of operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Minimizes user exposure to hazardous agents and provides rapid, accurate detection of contaminants at the collection site, ensuring safe and efficient handling and analysis of samples.
Implementation Method 1
The swab material is moistened with a solution configured to lift the hazardous contaminant from a test surface
Implementation Method 2
a fluid-tight enclosure including a fluid pathway between the absorbent swab material and the test strip
Implementation Method 3
The collection device includes an assay test strip disposed within the enclosure. The assay test strip includes a reaction zone configured to produce an optically-detectable change in appearance in the presence of a hazardous contaminant
Data Source
AI summary
Contamination detection systems, kits, and techniques are described for testing surfaces for the presence of analytes of interest, including hazardous contaminants, while minimizing user exposure to these contaminants. Even trace amounts of contaminants can be detected. A collection device provides a swab that is simple to use, easy to hold and grip, allows the user to swab large areas of a surface, and keeps the user's hands away from the surface being tested. The collection device also includes a test strip, and provides a closed fluid transfer mechanism to transfer the collected fluid from the swab to the test strip while minimizing user exposure to hazardous contaminants in the collected fluid. Contamination detection kits can rapidly collect and detect hazardous drugs, including trace amounts of antineoplastic agents, in healthcare settings at the site of contamination.