Evacuated tube and method for microscopy examination of urine sediment, chemistry and microbiological assays
AssigneeBecton, Dickinson and Company
InventorAndrew John Harrop
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Abstract
A urine specimen container assembly is provided. The assembly includes an evacuated tube and a closure for maintaining the evacuated condition in the tube and for sealing the tube after placement of a urine specimen therein. The tube includes an open top for engagement by the closure and a cylindrical wall extending from the open top. A conical base extends from the lower end of the cylindrical wall to the bottom of the tube. Fins extend outwardly from the conical base and define a profile that substantially replicates the profile of a round-bottom tube. Thus, the tube can be used in chemical analyzers configured for round bottom tubes and can be used in a centrifuge to enable accumulation of sediment in the conical base.
Claims10
A urine collection tube having an open top and a closed bottom, a cylindrical side wall extending from said open top toward said closed bottom, a substantially conical base extending from said cylindrical side wall to said bottom of said tube, a plurality of substantially identical fins extending outwardly from said conical base, each said fin including a circular outer edge having a bottom end tangent to said bottom of said tube and a top end aligned such that a tangent from said top end is substantially colinear with said cylindrical side wall of said tube, whereby said conical base defines a receptacle for accumulation of sediment separated from a specimen in a centrifuge, and whereby said fins define a round bottom profile for said tube.
A method for collecting a urine specimen for analysis comprising the steps of:
- providing an evacuated tube comprising an open top tube and a pierceable closure;
- providing an open-topped receptacle with said urine specimen;
- providing a straw having opposed first and second ends, said first end being configured for piercing said closure;
- placing said second end of said straw in communication with said urine specimen;
- and
- placing said first end of said straw through said closure and at least partly into said evacuated tube, whereby pressure differentials between interior portions of said tube and exterior portions of said tube generate a flow of said urine into said tube for analysis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.