CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia Health System researchers had been having a strange problem. Blood samples sent to a specific location through their pneumatic tube system were arriving damaged, leading to errors in testing.
When it came to investigating the damaged samples, researchers were unable to find a diagnostic tool to find out exactly what kind of trip the blood samples were taking through the tube system. Then, James H. Harrison Jr., MD, PhD, had an idea. Why not use a smartphone?
Downloading a $2 iPhone app, Garrett R. Mullins, PhD, a clinical chemistry postdoctoral fellow, and David Bruns, MD, a professor of Pathology, both brought in their old phones and sent them through the tube system.
The phone app they used measured the forces acting upon the blood samples and the researchers were surprised to discover the force of the trip was so powerful it was actually breaking apart red blood cells and destroying the integrity of the samples.
Mullins, Harrison, and Bruns recommend their method to all hospitals who might be experiencing the same issue with blood samples sent through Pneumatic tubes. They also recommend you use an older phone for the experiment.
