Sample Collection and Transport

Safe and hygenic collection and transportation of faecal matter and sample handling can be problematic. However with the right products, it’s possible to provide an assured service that meets regulatory standards.

BÜHLMANN CALEX® Cap Collection Set – Faecal Extraction Home Kit

The BÜHLMANN CALEX® Cap is the first and only stool extraction device certified for safe air and road transportation according to IATA 650 (UN3373) regulations. This means it can be safely mailed from a patient’s home. The introduction of the new Feacal Extraction Home Kit allows for a quality ready extracted sample for the laboratory, and revolutionises the workflow of stool testing in terms of speed, efficiency and cost savings.

The simple to use patient kit includes a buffer filled CALEX® Cap tube containing viricide and bactericide components, stool collection sheets, a user guide and plastic bag with patient label. The sample in the CALEX can be used for analysis of both faecal calprotectin and elastase.

Buy the Collection Set Online

Fe-Col – Sample Collection Made Simple

Fe-Col makes stool collection easy and hygienic

Fe-Col papers provide a simple, easy-to-use, efficient and hygienic stool collection method. For patients they offer a quick, simple solution to a frustrating and potentially messy problem. For the laboratory testing the faeces, they prevent the risk of sample contamination, ensuring fewer test errors.

Faeces are tested for a variety of reasons, most commonly for the determination of the presence of bacteria or parasites, for fat content, for faecal occult blood which can indicate bowel cancer and for Calprotectin which can help discriminate between Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Unlike most other laboratory tests, stool samples are normally collected by the patient at home. However, many people find this collection process difficult, unpleasant and unhygienic to perform. Cling film, paper plates, and copious amounts of toilet paper are the most commonly used methods, but these are then difficult to dispose of and may cause plumbing blockages.

More than 50% of patients responding to screening take a stool sample directly from the toilet bowl. Sampling a stool from the toilet basin is technically difficult, but also creates potential measurement errors, due to loss of content from the stool into the surrounding water, or contamination from toilet sanitisers and toilet water additives.

The Fe-Col device has been developed to solve these problems: a unique, disposable stool collector, which is easily and securely placed on the toilet and can be totally flushed away after use.

Watch this video to find out more about easy-to-use Fe-Col:

Fe-Col® Faeces Collection Paper
Product Code Description Pack Size
FC2010 Fe-Col Faeces Collection Paper 1000
FC2030 Fe-Col Dispenser Box 5 x 50

Sample Transportation

UN3373 Envelope

In the modern medical environment, thousands of patient samples need to be transported from their point of collection, to a testing laboratory for analysis.

Getting things safely through the post can be problematic, so packing and mailing of patient samples needs careful handling and adherence to regulations.

Category B, faecal samples must be transported under guidelines issued by the World Health Organization using P650 packaging instructions, to UN3373 standards.

To date laboratory personnel have had to fashion various packaging solutions to meet the UN3373 requirements to transport patient samples. These include wrapping the primary container in an absorbent material, placing this in a sealed plastic bag and then putting all this into a rigid box. This requires multiple materials and can result in mailing packages being of considerable size, increasing the cost of postage.

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Collection & Transport of Stool Samples

Whether you are sending stool samples for faecal calprotectin testing by road or air, Alpha Laboratories has everything you need to meet the demands of UN3373 P650 packaging instructions.

1. Faecal Sample Collection

Fe-Col-Stool-Sample-Collection

Helping to make stool collection easy, efficient and hygienic for patients, the Fe-Col® is a simple paper loop that fits over the toilet seat and can be flushed away after use.

The added convenience helps encourage patients to provide their sample, improving uptake for diagnostic tests.

It also minimises the risk of faeces coming into contact with toilet water or cleaning products, thus ensuring quality samples for the laboratory.

Fe-Col is available on its own, in a handy dispenser box or in a range of kits including a sample pot, gloves etc.

2. Primary Sample Containment

Containers for Stool Samples

The wide range of Universal containers available from Alpha Laboratories includes options with a spoon which are ideal for faecal samples.

We also offer a range of larger volume 60ml Universal containers, plus the EveryDay containers with a range of coloured caps.

3. Secondary Packaging Solutions

Pouch and Absorbent for Stool sample transport

To ensure compliance faecal pots should be individually wrapped in absorbent  and then placed in a secondary pouch.

If the primary container is not 95kPa compliant, then the pouch must be pressure tested to this level and there are different gauges of pouch specific for Road Transport and Air Transport. Using this format the outer packaging must be a rigid box.

4. Outer Packaging Solutions

UN3373 Compliant rigid outer box

Suitable for Road or Air transport with compliant primary and/or secondary containment.

Outer boxes are available in a range of sizes to accommodate multiple sample formats.