Tech in Plain Sight: Vacuum Blood Collection

The common process of drawing blood often relies on a system called the vacutainer, a portmanteau of vacuum and container. As Hackaday explains, these sealed glass or plastic tubes use a vacuum to automatically pull a precise amount of blood from a vein, allowing phlebotomists to quickly swap tubes without removing the needle. Developed by Joseph Kleiner in nineteen forty-seven to reduce patient discomfort and blood spillage, the system uses color-coded caps to indicate different chemical additives required for specific medical tests.

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