VACUTAINER Meaning and
Definition
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A vacutainer is a type of medical blood collection tube, specifically designed for the safe and efficient collection and storage of blood samples for laboratory testing. The term "vacutainer" is a brand name, often used generically to refer to any such tube, but originally introduced by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) in the 1940s.
A standard vacutainer consists of a cylindrical plastic tube with a rubber stopper at one end. The stopper contains an integral needle and a vacuum inside the tube, allowing for blood to be drawn directly into the tube without needing to use a separate syringe. The vacuum created within the tube ensures that the proper amount of blood is collected effortlessly and accurately, eliminating the need for guesswork or manual measurement during the collection process.
Vacutainers come in various sizes and colors, each specifically designed for a different type of blood sample or test. Different additives or anticoagulants may be present within the tube, depending on the specific requirements of the test being performed. Once the blood has been drawn into the vacutainer, the tube is carefully labeled and sent to the laboratory for analysis, where the sample can be safely stored until testing is required.
Overall, the vacutainer has revolutionized blood collection in medical settings, making the process more efficient, streamlined, and less error-prone.
Etymology of VACUTAINER
The term "Vacutainer" is a brand name adopted by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a medical technology company. It is a combination of the words "vacuum" and "container". The name reflects the fundamental concept of the product, which is a specialized blood collection tube that utilizes vacuum pressure to draw blood into the tube, eliminating the need for a syringe and manual aspiration. Over time, the term "Vacutainer" became synonymous with vacuum blood collection tubes, regardless of the brand.
