The exhibit hall was buzzing with new displays and product launches at this year's Clinical Lab Expo, part of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's (AACC) annual conference. The Expo, the industry's largest trade show, drew over 600 exhibitors and 16,000 attendees from around the world. Phlebotomy Today wandered the aisles, as usual, in search of the answer to the age old question: What's new in the preanalytical world? Here's what we found:

ITL BioMedical (Melbourne, Australia)---ITL is introducing two new  tube-holder adapter caps designed to make blood culture sample collection safer and more efficient. The SampLok® Adapter Cap 2 is an all-in-one adapter cap with a safety lid and integrated tube guide. The Universal Adapter Cap is a one-size-fits-all adapter cap that conforms to the shape of the blood culture bottle then returns to its original shape for blood collection tubes. Both adapters are smaller than conventional adapters, taking up less space on phlebotomy trays, storage rooms, and sharps containers. Both are versatile and negate the need for separate inserts when collecting blood collection bottles.  More information.

Drucker Diagnostics (Port Matilda, Pennsylvania)---Drucker introduced the new DASH Apex centrifuge line, designed for STAT service and compatible with the new BD Barricor^TM tubes. The two companies have validated three-minute spin cycles for BD's Barricor tubes (5 minutes for the Apex 24). More information.

Greiner Bio-One (Monroe, North Carolina)---Lancelino Safety Lancets made their Greiner debut this year at the Expo. The retractable lancets are designed with simple activation, and ergonomically rounded design, a rounded base for pinpoint precision, and precisely defined puncture depths, which range from 1.2 to 2.0 mm. More information.

Greiner Bio-One (Monroe, North Carolina)---Greiner also launched of a new line of small laboratory equipment products including vortex mixers, a mini block heater, centrifuges and the Sapphire Maxipette. Incorporating a selected range of small key devices into its portfolio is seen as a way to help customers source all their preanalytical supplies from fewer vendors. Greiner's new line is coordinated with their Vacuette line of tubes to assure compatibility. A key focus in adding the new line was ensuring the devices are user-friendly. More information.

BD (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey)---Raising eyebrows at this year's Expo was BD's new separator tube, the Barricor^TM Tube. Instead of gel, the mechanical separator of Barricor tubes is a proprietary elastomer that positions itself between cells and plasma during centrifugation to preserve sample integrity and assure accurate test results. The separator, which was recently granted FDA approval, elongates upon and throughout centrifugation to allow more time for cellular components to be pulled below the barrier. When centrifugation slows, the separator returns to its original shape and becomes the permanent barrier. According to the company, the shorter centrifugation time required (up to seven minutes less than for gel tubes) and the fact that it does not need blood to clot decreases turnaround times significantly. Because the mechanical separator permits separation to continue throughout centrifugation far longer than gel separators, Barricor tubes can reduce cellular contamination by 50 to 65 percent compared to leading gel tubes. As a result, they have the potential to reduce manual sample remediation and instrument maintenance. Improved laboratory efficiency and lower laboratory costs are also expected. Barricor is currently available only in heparinized tubes. More information and video.

BD (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey)---Also new is the BD Vacutainer® UltraTouch™ Push Button Blood Collection Set. With an innovative wingset design that includes the company's PentaPoint™ Comfort and RightGauge™ Ultra-Thin Wall technology, which increases the inner diameter of the needle without increasing the outer diameter (gauge), the UltraTouch reduces penetration forces by 32% without compromising tube fill-times or sample quality. Lower penetration forces translate to minimizing patient discomfort during blood collection. More information and video.