ABC 7: New Sting-Free Device Makes Donating Blood Easier

ABC 7 recently interviewed Armando Romero, associate director of Blood Donor Services at Cedars-Sinai, about the quick and sting-free way the hospital is now checking blood donors’ hemoglobin before they roll up a sleeve to give blood.  

A painless ring-shaped sensor placed on the donor’s thumb displays their hemoglobin level and pulse rate in under a minute. The sensor replaces the traditional finger prick method, which uses a needle called a lancet, to measure hemoglobin and ensure that iron levels aren’t too low for a donation.

Romero told ABC 7 news reporter Denise Dador that the finger stab can be more painful than donating blood.

“I can attest to that, that at times, it does feel more painful, the actual finger stick, instead of the actual donation process, which you don’t really feel—that’s a quick pinch,” Romero told Dador. “But the finger, when you have that stick, it does feel bruised for a couple of days afterwards.”

Romero told Dador that the sensor, called the OrSense finger cuff, has additional benefits. It’s more cost effective and reduces supplies and waste.

“The bandages involved with that, having to dispose of that biohazardous waste—it’s a long process,” Romero told Dador.

Romero said he expects more hospitals and organizations that collect blood to follow suit and use the finger cuff.

“My sense is that this will quickly catch on, and throughout the country, we’ll be seeing this technology everywhere,” he told Dador.

Click here to watch the entire segment on ABC 7.