The following are the advantages and disadvantages of the iClean® Dried Blood Stain Collection Card:

Advantages

• Simple Operation: It does not require complex equipment or professional skills. Ordinary medical staff or individuals with simple training can easily complete the blood stain collection operation. They just need to drop the blood onto the collection card and let it dry.
• Good Sample Stability: It can keep the blood stains stable at room temperature, effectively preventing the degradation or deterioration of the components in the blood. It can be stored for a long time, which is convenient for subsequent transportation and testing. Generally, it can be stored at room temperature for several months or even years.
• Convenient for Transportation: It is small in size and light in weight, and the dried blood stain state is not easy to leak. It can be conveniently transported to testing laboratories in different places by mail or other means, reducing the risks and costs during the sample transportation process.
• Small Sample Volume Required: Only a small amount of blood sample is needed to meet the testing requirements. For situations where blood collection is difficult, such as children or patients who need multiple blood collections, it has obvious advantages, reducing the pain of patients and the difficulty of blood collection.
• Applicable for Multiple Tests: The blood stain sample on one collection card can be used for a variety of testing items, such as DNA analysis, blood routine testing, pathogen detection, etc. It can make full use of limited sample resources and improve the testing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• High Biological Safety: The dried blood stain state reduces the risk of the spread of pathogens in the blood. During the collection, transportation, and preservation processes, compared with liquid blood samples, it can better ensure the safety of operators and the environment, reducing the possibility of biological hazards.

Disadvantages

• Limited Detection Sensitivity: For some testing items that require high sensitivity, such as detecting biomarkers at extremely low concentrations or trace pathogens, the iClean® Dried Blood Stain Collection Card may have certain limitations. This is because some target substances may be lost or their activity may decrease during the blood drying process.
• Risk of Cross-contamination: If the operation is improper during the collection, preservation, or processing, for example, the collection card is contaminated or different samples come into contact with each other, cross-contamination may occur, affecting the accuracy of the test results.
• Requirements for the Collection Environment: Although generally the requirements for the environment are relatively not high, an overly humid or high-temperature environment may affect the drying speed and quality of the blood, and thus affect the stability of the sample and the test results. The collection and preservation need to be carried out under relatively suitable environmental conditions.
• Dependence on Professional Testing Equipment: Although the collection process is simple, subsequent testing usually requires professional laboratory equipment and technicians. For example, specific genetic analysis instruments are needed for DNA testing, which to a certain extent limits its application scope, as not all places can conduct corresponding tests.
• Not Suitable for All Testing Items: For some special testing items, such as those that require the detection of the activity of specific unstable enzymes in the blood or some real-time physiological index monitoring, the iClean® Dried Blood Stain Collection Card may not be able to meet the requirements. This is because the blood will change its physiological state after drying, making it impossible to carry out such special tests.