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General product and regulatory information only; this page is not medical advice and gives no clinical instructions.
Short answer
A mucus trap is a disposable specimen trap used as part of a vacuum suction setup to collect a sample of mucus or other body fluid. On labels it is called a mucus trap, mucous specimen trap or specimen trap. FDA lists the product code as BYZ, “Trap, Sterile Specimen”, Class II under 21 CFR 880.6740.
Definition and scope
21 CFR 880.6740 defines a vacuum-powered body fluid suction apparatus as a device used to aspirate, remove, or sample body fluids, powered by an external source of vacuum. The generic type named in that regulation includes vacuum regulators, vacuum collection bottles, suction catheters and tips, connecting flexible aspirating tubes, rigid suction tips, specimen traps, noninvasive tubing, and suction regulators with gauge. The specimen trap is therefore one named member of a family of suction components, not a stand-alone category of its own.
FDA’s classification record for product code BYZ gives the device name “Trap, Sterile Specimen”, device class 2, regulation number 880.6740, and the General Hospital review panel. The regulation states the device is Class II (special controls) and exempt from premarket notification (510(k)) procedures, subject to the limitations in 21 CFR 880.9. The record shows the device is not an implant and is not labeled life-sustaining or life-supporting.
How it fits in a suction setup
The regulation’s list of components shows where the trap belongs: it is one of the named components of a vacuum-powered suction apparatus, alongside tubing, collection bottles, tips, catheters and regulators. For the neighbouring components, see CASRAI’s guides to Yankauer suction, the Yankauer suction tip, the suction canister and the vacuum regulator, all of which sit in the same regulation.
Some products arrive with a catheter already attached. FDA lists a separate product code for the catheter component: BSY, “Catheters, Suction, Tracheobronchial”, Class 1, 21 CFR 868.6810, under the Anesthesiology panel. Records for a mucus trap packaged with a catheter can therefore be filed under either code, which matters when matching supply records to FDA data.
Types and labeled sizes
Mucus trap, specimen trap and related traps
In FDA’s 510(k) database, product code BYZ includes entries named “Mucous Specimen Trap” (K913643, decision 1991-10-10) and “Specimen Trap” (K834467, decision 1984-02-17), as well as tissue and polyp traps (K902883, K925412). The same code also covers traps that have nothing to do with the airway: the device database lists polyp traps, a bone dust trap, bone and tissue traps and a specimen trap for breast implant removal. “Mucus trap” is a label name for the respiratory use, not a separate FDA category.
Labeled volumes in FDA’s device identification records
The table below is built from manufacturers’ own entries in FDA’s Global Unique Device Identification data (via openFDA, checked 2026-10-31). It lists what the labels state, not a recommendation of any product or size.
| Labeled volume | Example labeled products (brand, model name) |
|---|---|
| 20 mL | Argyle “Mucus Trap with Vacuum Breaker” and “Mucus Trap with Vacuum Breaker and Filter” with 6.5, 8 or 10 Fr catheters; Argyle “Suction Catheter with Mucus Trap, 20 mL”; MediChoice mucous trap with vacuum breaker, 8 and 10 French catheter, 20 cubic centimeter |
| 40 mL (40 cc) | Cardinal Health “Mucus Specimen Trap”; CUSTOMED “Disposable mucus trap, 40 mL (CC)”; Medline “Trap, Mucus Specimen, 40CC”; Argyle Specimen Trap; Busse “40 cc Specimen Trap” (with and without lid); ASP Medical “Specimen Trap 40CC, with transport cap, sterile”; MediChoice “Trap Specimen Mucous”, 40 cubic centimeter; Dynarex “Resp-O2 Mucus Specimen Trap”, leak proof transport cap, 40 cc |
| 70 mL (70 cc) | MediChoice “Trap Specimen Mucous”, 70 cubic centimeter; Argyle Specimen Trap (second labeled size) |
| 80 mL (80 cc) | CUSTOMED “Disposable mucus trap, 80 mL (CC)”; Medline “Trap, Mucus Specimen, 80CC”; Busse “80 cc Specimen Trap” |
Beyond volume, the records show variations in catheter gauge (6.5, 8 and 10 French in the Argyle 20 mL family, and 8 and 10 French in Medline’s DeLee-type entries with valve), a vacuum breaker, an optional filter, and a transport cap. All the mucus and specimen traps above are recorded as single-use.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply records
For catalogs, purchasing files and receiving records, the fields that identify a mucus trap in FDA’s data are the ones to capture: labeled volume, whether a catheter is attached and its gauge, vacuum breaker or filter, transport cap, sterile labeling, single-use status, and the product code (BYZ for the trap, BSY for the catheter). Latex wording is manufacturer label text: for example, MediChoice’s records describe the trap as polyurethane, sterile and not made with natural rubber latex. Check each product’s own label for its statements.
Because the regulation places the trap inside the suction apparatus family, a record for a trap can sit next to records for regulators, bottles and tips in the same classification group.
Common misunderstandings
- It is not a suction canister. The regulation lists vacuum collection bottles and specimen traps as separate named components.
- It is not the catheter. When sold with a catheter, the catheter component has its own classification (BSY, Class 1).
- “Mucus trap” and “specimen trap” are label names. FDA’s product code BYZ covers mucus, tissue, polyp and bone traps.
- Not a sputum cup. A sputum cup is a different specimen container; see what a sputum cup is.
- Class II does not mean premarket review. The regulation exempts the device from 510(k) subject to 21 CFR 880.9.
FAQ
What is a mucus trap?
A disposable specimen trap used in a vacuum suction setup to collect a sample of mucus or other body fluid. FDA classifies it as Trap, Sterile Specimen (BYZ), Class II, 21 CFR 880.6740.
Is a mucus trap the same as a specimen trap?
In product labels the two names are used for the same kind of device, and FDA files both under BYZ. The FDA code also covers tissue, polyp and bone traps, so “specimen trap” is the broader term.
Sources
- 21 CFR 880.6740, Vacuum-powered body fluid suction apparatus, law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/880.6740, checked 2026-10-31.
- openFDA device classification, product code BYZ, api.fda.gov/device/classification.json, checked 2026-10-31.
- openFDA 510(k) records, product code BYZ, api.fda.gov/device/510k.json, checked 2026-10-31.
- openFDA device identification (GUDID-derived) records, product code BYZ, api.fda.gov/device/udi.json, checked 2026-10-31.
