Feasibility verification of fingerstick capillary microsampling replacing venipuncture for therapeutic drug monitoring of 12 antibiotics using a rapid LC-MS/MS assay
Chen et al.
The finding, in our words
This study validated a method requiring only 10 microlitres of serum and found high agreement between fingerstick capillary samples and venous serum for monitoring twelve antibiotics. The results suggest capillary serum sampling is a feasible, minimally invasive alternative that avoids the haematocrit effect associated with whole blood microsampling.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The validated LC-MS/MS method showed similar pharmacokinetic profiles for albendazole and its metabolites across plasma, whole blood, dried blood spots and Mitra microsamples from hookworm-infected adolescents, supporting microsampling for paediatric pharmacokinetic studies. Mitra extraction proved more robust than dried blood spots during validation and is recommended for future albendazole pharmacokinetic work, despite higher albendazole sulfone concentrations observed in both microsampling devices compared with wet matrices.
Schulz et al., Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (paywalled) · source ↗
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.
An IQ Consortium position paper from sponsor scientists positioning patient-centric sampling as the enabling technology for decentralised trials, and stating that a bridging study against conventional sampling “has quickly been established as a regulatory expectation”.
Maass et al., Clinical and Translational Science · source ↗
Guardian-collected capillary dried blood spots were feasible for home monitoring of lamotrigine, and for carbamazepine and valproic acid when conversion factors were applied, with only 4 of 190 comparisons risking a conflicting dose decision and negligible risk of patient harm. Levetiracetam DBS showed high variability against plasma and is recommended only for checking nonadherence, not for dose adjustment.
Linder et al., Therapeutic drug monitoring (paywalled) · source ↗
The study found substantial agreement between serum tobramycin and vancomycin concentrations collected from existing peripheral or central venous catheters and those obtained by venipuncture or fingerstick in pediatric patients. This suggests that using a strict flush and waste protocol allows for therapeutic drug monitoring without additional painful needle sticks, thereby improving patient satisfaction.
Lichliter et al., Journal for specialists in pediatric nursing : JSPN (paywalled) · source ↗