Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Comparison between a laser-lancing device and automatic incision lancet for capillary blood sampling from the heel of newborn infants: a randomized feasibility trial

Journal of Perinatology (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Capillary blood sampling is routinely performed using a heel stick in newborn infants to draw a small amount of blood for various blood tests. Automatic incision lancets, which are less painful, less traumatic, and more effective than manual needle lancets have been recommended as a standard heel stick sampling device in newborn infants [1]. However, these infants still experience pain and skin complications, such as incisional wounds, bruises, and infections [2]. Their developmental immaturity of the central nervous system makes them more likely to feel pain and may have adverse neurodevelopmental consequences [3]. Furthermore, manufacturing automatic lancing devices and disposing of associated medical waste are expensive, and their use is polluting.

Recently, a laser-lancing device, LMT-5000 (HandyRay-Lite, LAMEDITECH, Seoul, Korea) that can collect capillary blood without a needle or blade lancet was developed. In previous studies with adults, this device reduced pain and improved patient satisfaction more than manual needle lancets did [4, 5]. In this study, we aimed to determine the feasibility of using a laser-lancing device in the neonatal population, we compared the clinical effectiveness and safety of a laser-lancing device with an automatic incision device for capillary blood sampling from the heels of newborn infants.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

References

  1. Vertanen H, Fellman V, Brommels M, Viinikka L. An automatic incision device for obtaining blood samples from the heels of preterm infants causes less damage than a conventional manual lancet. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2001;84:F53–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Koklu E, Ariguloglu EA, Koklu S. Foot skin ischemic necrosis following heel prick in a newborn. Case Rep Pediatr. 2013;2013:912876.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Bhalla T, Shepherd E, Tobias JD. Neonatal pain management. Saudi J Anaesth. 2014;8(Suppl 1):S89–97.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Kim JA, Park MJ, Song E, Roh E, Park SY, Lee DY, et al. Comparison of laser and conventional lancing devices for blood glucose measurement conformance and patient satisfaction in diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Metab J. 2022;46:936–40.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Yoo WS, Min J, Chung PS, Woo SH. Biochemical and pain comparisons between the laser lancing device and needle lancets for capillary blood sampling: a randomized control trial. Lasers Surg Med. 2021;53:316–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Janes M, Pinelli J, Landry S, Downey S, Paes B. Comparison of capillary blood sampling using an automated incision device with and without warming the heel. J Perinatol. 2002;22:154–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Yosipovitch G, Maayan-Metzger A, Merlob P, Sirota L. Skin barrier properties in different body areas in neonates. Pediatrics. 2000;106:105–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Hangseok Choi, Ph.D. (Research Professor, Medical Science Research Center, Korea University College of Medicine) for his assistance with statistics.

Funding

Funding

This work was supported by a Korea University Ansan Hospital (Grant number: K2011011) and the Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korean government (the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Health & Welfare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (Project Number: 1711174303, RS-2020-KD000233).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Chul Kyu Yun, Eui Kyung Choi.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Korea University Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Chul Kyu Yun

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center, Anseong Hospital, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

    Chul Kyu Yun

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Eui Kyung Choi, Hyung Jin Kim, Kyuhee Park & Byung Min Choi

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jaeyoung Kim

  5. LAMEDITECH, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Byung Cheol Park

Authors
  1. Chul Kyu Yun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eui Kyung Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hyung Jin Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jaeyoung Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Byung Cheol Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kyuhee Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Byung Min Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

CKY, methodology, investigation, data curation, writing, and final approval of the manuscript. EKC, conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, writing, revising, and final approval of the manuscript. HJK, investigation, data curation, and final approval of the manuscript. JK, methodology, investigation, and final approval of the manuscript. BCP, methodology and final approval of the manuscript. KP, methodology, investigation, and final approval of the manuscript. BMC, conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, writing, revising, and final approval of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Byung Min Choi.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yun, C.K., Choi, E.K., Kim, H.J. et al. Comparison between a laser-lancing device and automatic incision lancet for capillary blood sampling from the heel of newborn infants: a randomized feasibility trial. J Perinatol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01857-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01857-4

Search

Advanced search

Quick links