A Lab on a Chip Changes Everything

So, how do you clean it after you use it?

Infection control has always been a problem in any invasive procedure! Using disposable devices like this "lab-on-chip technology", may help minimize the exposure of a patient to infection.

Problem exist whether done by a clinically trained individual or not! Having it on the patient's own hands, in the home environment may just create a bigger problem!

My take on it: At least if you have the full compliment of what parameters you want/need at home, you will get your lab report immediately!

Think about the potentials: Doing Diagnostics on pets without going all the way to the vet - is the dog having parasites from eating a bird, or did she swallow polyester fibers from upholstery padding? (Yes we have such a Beagle/Reagle that is into everything at her six month old age).

Blood sugar testing/logging? Improved A1C kits? Cholesterol monitoring? I think these could be useful. Or just eat more fiber, and an apple a day for life, take a little cinnamon, and hope for the best.

I think you have missed the point slightly. If the design of the machine necessitates blood being drawn through, then the blood channel has to be cleaned out afterwards, to ensure a clear passage for the next sample as much as to avoid infection.
If the patient merely donates a sample of blood, and does not himself come into contact with the machine then he is at no risk of infection from the machine.

My point is the mere creation of an opening in the skin, An individual is already exposing itself into acquiring an infection... Now since the new "lab-in-chip technology will allow any person to use, self operate and to apply that advancement in technology. By doing so will further aggravate an already existing infection control issues prevailing in the healthcare industry throughout the country...

Application of new technology in healthcare settings should improve, enhance safety instead of causing /creating more problems on its usage and applications!

I thing you will find that, bacteriologically speaking, the home is a far safer place to be than a clinical environment. I would rather be exposing myself to my own germs than to someone else's MRSA.

i share, understand your personal view, yet my perspectives on the application of such new technologies and its negative impact in healthcare is very wide and general.. Todate any convenience it brings still are negated by the associated problems in application..regardless whether done in ones home or in a clinical setting!

Translated, does this not read "I never let the facts get in the way of my prejudices"?

IMHO, as long as the risk to benefit is taken into consideration, intelligently it can go either way.

Agreed. Not only that but the time is coming when chip-based devices will simply take readings of some parameters through the skin, no lancing required.

All of the present generation of lab on a chip instruments will have disposable blood tubing sections on a micro plate. This is not much different from blood sugar testing strips we already have, IMHO.

The real advance will be in nano-devices that are injected (imagine the lawsuit ads on TV for those), and will communicate through the skin to the transmitter that is wearable tech.

If one is that prone to getting "infections", then one should not walk barefoot through a grass-burr or goat-head patch, or a cactus patch.

In fact one should probably obtain a plastic bubble and climb inside, never to breath fresh air again unless it be severely filtered and UV sterilized.

Now WHO is out with a report bashing the cattle, sheep, goat, and hog industry stating that red meat causes cancer. Not eating red meat (at all) leads to underdeveloped brains incapable of any sort of creative thought process. There! WHO can go stuff a sausage skin with their B.S. and eat it.

As for me: (1) bacon-wrapped cheese (your choice) stuffed jalapeno peppers at least once a month, (2) bacon roses with eggs fried in the drippings, (3) bacon wrapped slider burgers, and (4) anything else I care to eat that is meat wrapped in bacon. It seems to work wonders for my morning fasting blood sugar readings and my A1C - probably from lower stress levels, increased Niacin, etc.

The creation of an opening in our skin, which by the way our first line of defence, is the key problem! Once an opening or break in the skin is introduced, that first line of defence is already broken, thus making the body vulnerable to any type of infection!

Walking barefooted is good as long as you dont have any wound or break in your skin, specially the part that touches the dirt!. Also, easily getting infected i would say is dependent on ones level of immunity...

a while back, they were talking about having a app on your smart phone to be able to do a lot of these tests, some with added accessories required.

The discussion evolved around responsibility, such as calibrations, accuracies such as false positives... it did died down, but there are apps that are infringing on the borders. that would do basic monitoring.

When my wife got put on warfarin, regular weekly blood tests became necessary. As we were moving between 3 different parts of the country this became a source of great frustration. I discovered that a lab-on-a-chip machine was commercially available to the public. Then I discovered that one of our new neighbours had such a machine. It appears to be both reliable and accurate, and he calibrates it by sending a duplicate sample to the hospital lab every 6 months or so. Cleaning is not a problem because the blood flows into a chamber which is discarded. My attitude to local blood testing has completely changed from 20 years ago, when bedside blood testing was notoriously unreliable.

I was on warfarin als0, and the ritual of a Prothrombin Time test to adjust the Vitamin 'K' blockers is very important just trying to stabilize it.

What was causing it that required warfarin I have since had it repaired. Though I do take a small dose of daily aspirin. It was a big inconvenience when I was on Warfarin because diet played a big part of the effectiveness of warfarin. And effectiveness goes both ways, from none effective or death are the extremes.

I myself are quite impressed of the availability of some of the home equipment no-a-days. as well as the low cost.

I agree, I also like to add that am impressed with the overall noninvasive procedures they have now compared to 20 years ago.