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Not yet recruitingNCT07765199Updated Aug 14, 2026

Blood'up Device Versus Manual Palpation for Arterial Puncture in Healthy Volunteers: A Pilot Randomized Study Under Normal and Simulated Hypotension

An interventional study of Arterial blood gas and Simulated hypotension in Arterial Puncture, Radial Artery Injury and Hypotension, sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Régional d'Orléans. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-14.

Sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Régional d'Orléans · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
32
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Arterial puncture is a common procedure in the management of hospitalized patients. It is most often performed at the level of the radial artery and allows arterial blood gas analysis.

The success rate of arterial puncture varies widely in the literature. This procedure is moderately painful and may cause significant discomfort, particularly in cases of repeated attempts. First-attempt success is therefore important to reduce both pain and the risk of local complications associated with multiple punctures.

In routine practice, arterial puncture is performed using manual palpation of the radial artery, typically by a trained nurse. In case of failure, a physician may attempt the procedure, often using ultrasound guidance. However, ultrasound is not routinely used and requires specific training and organizational protocols for nurse use.

In hypotensive conditions, such as shock, the radial pulse may become difficult to palpate, making arterial puncture more challenging when using conventional techniques.

The Blood'up device (Arterya, Hérouville, France) is a non-invasive device currently under development that assists in arterial localization. It is applied to the wrist and projects a light signal indicating the position of the artery. This localization is based on ultrasound technology using piezoelectric sensors integrated into the device.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Blood'up device for radial artery localization in healthy volunteers, both under physiological conditions (normal blood pressure) and under simulated hypotensive conditions.

02

Conditions studied

  • Arterial Puncture
  • Radial Artery Injury
  • Hypotension
  • Healthy

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Keywords

  • Arterial Puncture
  • Blood'Up device
  • hypotension
  • healthy volunteers
  • blood gas analysis
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Participant who has agreed to take part in the study
  • No history of cardiovascular disease and a positive Allen test (the Allen test confirms the presence of collateral circulation between the radial and ulnar arteries)
  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Body mass index (BMI) \< 30 kg/m²

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Raynaud's syndrome/disease
  • Damaged or injured skin at the puncture site or at the Blood'Up device contact area
  • Upper limb amputation
  • Contraindication to arterial puncture in one or both upper limbs (e.g., skin lesion, lymph node dissection, etc.)
  • Contraindication to extrinsic arterial compression
  • Therapeutic anticoagulation
  • Known allergy to thermoplastic (ABS)
  • Known allergy to EMLA patch (lidocaine or prilocaine)
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
32 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Arterial puncture using manual palpation

    The traditional method for performing radial arterial puncture by manual palpation is as follows: * Identification of the radial artery pulsation by palpation by the nurse * Puncture performed at the location where the pulse amplitude is perceived as strongest.

    Other: Arterial blood gas · Other: Simulated hypotension

  • Experimental
    Arterial puncture using Blood'Up device

    Blood'Up is a portable, reusable, non-sterile Class I medical device that uses ultrasound to detect the radial artery beneath the skin. It projects two puncture points connected by a line onto the skin surface directly above the artery. Unlike ultrasound-guided or palpation-based techniques, the device allows the healthcare professional to keep both hands free, enabling the puncture to be performed under optimal conditions.

    Other: Arterial blood gas · Other: Simulated hypotension · Device: Arterial Puncture using Blood'Up device

Interventions

  • OtherArterial blood gas

    Each healthy volunteer will undergo arterial blood gas sampling on both wrists using each randomized technique (manual palpation versus the Blood'Up device).

  • OtherSimulated hypotension

    Only for the second cohort with simulated hypotension, which will include 16 healthy volunteers: Hypotension will be simulated by extrinsic compression using a blood pressure cuff adapted to the volunteer's arm circumference. The (manual) blood pressure cuff will be inflated and maintained to achieve a mean arterial pressure of 60 mmHg (with hypotension defined as a mean arterial pressure below 65 mmHg). Blood pressure will be measured using a non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring device (ClearSight®, Edwards Lifesciences, Mississauga, Canada).

  • DeviceArterial Puncture using Blood'Up device

    Blood'Up will be used to detect the radial artery beneath the skin.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Success rate of radial arterial puncture performed with and without the Blood'Up device in healthy volunteers with no cardiovascular history

    Success is defined as successful puncture of the radial artery with confirmation of the arterial nature of the sample by blood gas analysis. Only one puncture (defined as a single skin puncture) will be performed on each wrist. If the needle is withdrawn without obtaining blood return, this will be considered a failed arterial puncture. Similarly, the absence of blood return within one minute after skin puncture will also be considered a failure.

    Time frame: 5 minutes

Secondary outcomes

  1. Procedure time: from device placement to blood return in the syringe when using the Blood'Up device; and from the start of palpation to blood return in the syringe for manual palpation.

    Procedure time is defined as the time from the start of device placement to the onset of blood return in the arterial syringe (expected volume: 1 mL). For the Blood'Up device, the start is defined as the moment the device is placed on the volunteer's skin. For manual palpation, the start of palpation defines the start of the procedure. In both cases (Blood'Up and manual palpation), the maximum allowed procedure time is 1 minute. Similarly, the absence of blood return within one minute after skin puncture will be considered a failure.

    Time frame: 30 minutes

  2. Pain with and without the Blood'Up device

    Pain will be assessed immediately after each puncture by asking the participant to rate the maximum pain experienced during the procedure using a visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).

    Time frame: 30 minutes

  3. Number of needle redirections with and without the Blood'Up device.

    Number of needle redirections during each puncture, defined as any change in needle angulation (self-reported by the nurse performing the procedure). A puncture is defined as a single skin breach by the needle; as long as the needle is not completely withdrawn from the skin, all manipulations are considered part of the same puncture, regardless of the number of redirections.

    Time frame: 30 minutes

  4. Immediate complications with and without the Blood'Up device.

    Complications related to arterial puncture occurring within 5 minutes after the procedure: hematoma at the puncture site, suspected nerve injury (paresthesia), or vasovagal response (pallor, sweating, bradycardia, syncope).

    Time frame: 30 minutes

06

Study locations

1 site
  • CHU Orléans
    Orléans, 45067, France
    • Mai-Anh NAY, MD · Contact
    • May Anh NAY, MD · Principal investigator
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Barthelemy A, Gagnon DH, Duclos C. Gait-like vibration training improves gait abilities: a case report of a 62-year-old person with a chronic incomplete spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2016 Jul 21;2:16012. doi: 10.1038/scsandc.2016.12. eCollection 2016. PubMed 28053756 ↗
  • Bernhardt J, Hayward KS, Kwakkel G, Ward NS, Wolf SL, Borschmann K, Krakauer JW, Boyd LA, Carmichael ST, Corbett D, Cramer SC. Agreed definitions and a shared vision for new standards in stroke recovery research: The Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable taskforce. Int J Stroke. 2017 Jul;12(5):444-450. doi: 10.1177/1747493017711816. PubMed 28697708 ↗
  • Bertrand AM, Fournier K, Wick Brasey MG, Kaiser ML, Frischknecht R, Diserens K. Reliability of maximal grip strength measurements and grip strength recovery following a stroke. J Hand Ther. 2015 Oct-Dec;28(4):356-62; quiz 363. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2015.04.004. Epub 2015 May 9. PubMed 26206167 ↗
  • Bobos P, Nazari G, Lu Z, MacDermid JC. Measurement Properties of the Hand Grip Strength Assessment: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2020 Mar;101(3):553-565. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2019.10.183. Epub 2019 Nov 13. PubMed 31730754 ↗
  • Bohannon RW. Test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometry during a single session of strength assessment. Phys Ther. 1986 Feb;66(2):206-9. doi: 10.1093/ptj/66.2.206. PubMed 3945674 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07765199
Lead sponsor
Centre Hospitalier Régional d'Orléans
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 14, 2026
Start date
Sep 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Sep 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 14, 2026

Study contacts

Mai-Anh NAY, MD
Contact
maianh.nay@chu-orleans.fr
0238575253

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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