Stripper (tool)

Tube stripper

A stripper, or tube stripper, is a medical tool used for removing air or liquid from rubber tubes, such as those used for infusion or connecting bags used when blood is collected and processed in a blood bank. Its design is similar to a pair of pliers, but the jaws do not quite close (providing space enough for a flattened, empty tube) and have cylinders that can be rolled along the tube similar to the mechanism of a peristaltic pump. A stripper may be used, for instance, to move blood that remains in the tube at the end of a blood collection into the bag, thus avoiding wastage.