Evaluation of the HealthID PSD microsampling device

The use of dried capillary microsamples for clinical chemistry testing is an interesting alternative to conventional phlebotomy. Sampling devices capable to produce plasma from whole blood application are particularly useful. The aim of this study was to validate the HealthID PSD microsampling device for the determination of cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TRIG), creatinine (CRE), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) after collection of capillary blood.

Clinical chemistry testing has an essential role in the detection, monitoring, and prevention of several chronic diseases. Usually, clinical chemistry testing requires venous blood collection using phlebotomy, which requires properly trained personnel and adequate facilities to be performed. With the advances in clinical laboratory technology, small amounts of biological samples are needed for testing. In this context, there is a growing trend in clinical medicine to prioritize the patient experience in sample collection (patient-centric approach) using minimally invasive collection procedures, like capillary sampling.

Capillary blood microsampling is an alternative in the scenario of patient-centric blood collection. An early approach in capillary microsampling was the use of dried blood spots (DBS) in paper substrates, with several published applications in the clinical chemistry field. Dried microsamples present several advantages for population screening of chronic diseases, particularly in resource-limited environments, like the ease of collection, better patient acceptance, increased analyte stability in unrefrigerated temperatures, and absence of biohazard.