Autologous blood system and method

An autologous blood collection system comprising a closed extracorporeal blood circuit for collecting a patient's blood and delivering the collected blood to the same patient, the blood circuit comprising:

• means for aspirating blood from the patient;
• first means for collecting the aspirated blood, said first collecting means communicating with the aspirating means and means for continuously imposing a negative pressure in the first collecting means sufficiently to accommodate continuous aspiration of the blood;
• second means for collecting the aspirated blood, said second means comprising third means for transferring the blood in the first collecting means into the second collecting means by overcoming the continuous negative pressure in the first receptacle;
• and
• fourth means between said first means and said second means for facilitating infusion of blood into the patient from the second collecting means without interrupting the continuous evacuation of the first collecting means.

An autologous blood collection system comprising:

• means for aspirating blood from a patient;
• a first blood-receiving receptacle comprising means connected to the aspirating means for conducting blood from a patient to the interior of the first receptacle, means for imposing a continuous negative pressure within the first receptacle of sufficient magnitude to cause continuous aspiration of blood through the aspirating means, the first receptacle being sufficiently rigid that it will not significantly collapse upon imposition of the negative pressure;
• a second blood-receiving receptacle connected to the first by a hollow conduit which communicates the interior of the second receptacle with the interior of the first near the bottom of the first receptacle, said second receptacle comprising means for overcoming the continuous negative pressure in the first receptacle sufficiently enough to cause transfer of the blood to the second receptacle without interrupting the continuous aspiration of blood;
• and
• means for separating the second receptacle from the first without interrupting the continuous negative pressure in the first receptacle during the blood aspiration into the first receptacle.

A method of collecting blood from a patient and infusing the same blood back into the patient, comprising the steps of:

• providing a closed extracorporeal blood circuit through which blood passes;
• creating suction within a blood aspiration device and selectively aspirating blood from the patient through the blood aspiration device;
• depositing the blood in a first receptacle;
• transferring the blood from the first to a second receptacle;
• infusing the blood in the second receptacle into the patient without interrupting the suction within the blood aspiration device.

A method of infusing autologous blood into a patient comprising the steps of:

• creating a negative pressure within a first receptacle and selectively delivering blood from the patient into the receptacle;
• overcoming the negative pressure in the first receptacle by exerting upon the blood a greater force toward a second receptacle to thereby transfer the blood into the second receptacle from the first without interrupting the negative pressure in the first receptacle;
• and
• infusing the blood in the second receptacle into the patient.

A method of collecting blood from a patient and infusing the same blood back into the patient, comprising the steps of:

• providing a closed extracorporeal blood circuit through which blood passes;
• creating suction within a blood-aspirating device and selectively aspirating blood from the patient through the blood-aspirating device;
• depositing the blood in a first receptacle;
• transferring the blood from the first to a second receptacle;
• separating the second receptacle from the first without interrupting the suction within the blood-aspirating device;
• and
• infusing blood from the second receptacle into the patient.

A method of autologous blood transfusion comprising the steps of:

• aspirating blood from a patient;
• collecting the aspirated blood in a first receptacle;
• filtering the blood collected in the first receptacle;
• transferring the blood from a first to a second receptacle simultaneously with the collecting step;
• and
• separating the second receptacle from the first without interrupting the aspirating, collecting and filtering steps.