The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first fully automated system for collecting blood from a vein. The robot, called Aletta, can independently carry out almost the entire procedure – from preparing the patient to removing the needle and replacing the tubes.
The device first finds a suitable vein using Doppler ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy. If a suitable vessel cannot be found, the robot does not start piercing. Aletta was successful in drawing blood on the first try 95% of the time, according to ongoing clinical trials involving more than 600 people. At the same time, the proportion of damaged samples was only 0.6%, and patient satisfaction reached 98%.
However, the system cannot be called completely autonomous: the procedure is carried out under the constant supervision of a specialist. One employee can simultaneously monitor three devices. If the patient moves suddenly or the system detects a potentially dangerous situation, it automatically stops the procedure and notifies the operator.
The developers hope that Aletta will help solve the problem of a shortage of blood sampling specialists in the American healthcare system. The device has also already received permission for use in the European Union.