Centrifugation method separating serum or plasma from whole blood using a specimen container having a cap to retain blood cells
AssigneeBabson Diagnostics, Inc.
InventorEric Olson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device and method for separating serum or plasma from blood cells in a whole blood specimen. The present invention uses a cap with a reservoir, such that blood cells are packed into the cap when the specimen container is centrifuged. When the cap is removed, the blood cells are also removed, and the serum or plasma is left in the specimen tube where it can be readily extracted by a pipette which is able to reach all the way to the bottom of the specimen tube minimizing the dead volume.
Claims15
A method of separating blood cells from a blood specimen with a specimen container, the specimen container including a specimen tube defining an inner volume, and a cap defining a reservoir, the specimen tube having a closed end that is at least one of round or conical, the method comprising:
- disposing the blood specimen into the inner volume through an open end of the specimen tube when the cap is coupled to the specimen tube, a separator being disposed within either the inner volume of the specimen tube or the reservoir when the cap is coupled to the specimen tube;
- centrifuging the specimen container with the cap further away from an axis of centrifugation than the closed end of the specimen tube such that the blood cells of the blood specimen migrate into the reservoir of the cap and remain in the cap with the separator after the centrifuging.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.