BLOOD PRODUCT SAFETY CARDS & SYSTEMS

Blood safety, which refers to the safety of the product, has improved enormously during the last few decades as evidenced by the 10,000-fold decrease in risk of hepatitis or HIV from transfusion. In contrast, transfusion safety, which refers to the safety of the overall process of transfusion from donor to recipient, has changed very little over the same period of time.

Mis-transfusion of blood - the failure to give "the right blood to the right patient at the right time for the right reason" - is the second highest risk for major transfusion hazards. Most errors result from administration of properly labeled blood to the wrong recipient. As little as 30 mL of ABO-incompatible blood can be fatal.

Today, no efficient, cost effective product exists that can provide blood type analysis in seconds be used at the patient's side - whether in the hospital, workplace, or remote site contain the biological waste on the card Micronics' ABO Card™ is the first product that is responsive to this market need. The ABO Card™, which enables rapid blood typing in a disposable card, will be used to confirm patient blood type prior to transfusion. Click here for video of the ABO card in action. (wmv format) The ABO video shows a 3-D laminate laboratory-on-a-card ("lab card") that processes a droplet of whole blood together with 3 on-card reagents (pre-loaded at top of card) in 10 seconds. To activate the card, the user applies the blood to the card. He then pushes a small on-card bellows that draws the reagents and sample together. In real time, the viewing window shows whether or not agglutination occurs and a simple reference panel allows the user to determine the blood type. All waste is stored on card. In the video, the reagents are shown in liquid form though we are now printing reagents directly on the card. Micronics is pleased to be working with Pall Corporation in development of this product.

No license under the patents to use the technologies incorporated in Micronics’ Active or Access cards is conveyed expressly or by implication to the purchaser by the purchase of this product. A license to use any of the Micronics’ patented microfluidics technologies for research and development may be available for certain product applications. Further information on licenses required to practice the Micronics’ patented technologies may be obtained by contacting the Director, Business Development, Micronics, Inc. 8463 154th Avenue N.E. Redmond, WA 98052; or by calling 425.895.9197.