Process and device for centrifugal separation of platelets
AssigneeThe Institutes of Medical Sciences
InventorMaxim D. Persidsky
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Abstract
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the separation of finely divided solid particles dissimilar in size and/or density, such as platelets and other blood cells. The separation of, for instance, platelets is accomplished by subjecting the blood sample to centrifugal force in the chamber while displacing the platelets from the blood sample by injecting a relatively small volume of saline into the centrifugally outer end of the chamber. In the preferred apparatus, the saline is injected into che blood sample by driving the chamber supporting the blood sample into a saline filled cavity under the influence of centrifugal force.
Claims12
Apparatus for separating solid particles such as platelets from a blood sample comprising
- (a) a body adapted to be subjected to centrifugal force and containing a cavity adapted to receive a volume of displacing liquid therein,
- (b) a piston mounted in the body for movement into the cavity in response to centrifugal force on the piston with the piston containing a centrifugal chamber having inner and outer ends, and adapted to receive said sample from which particles are to be separated, and injection passageway means for movement of displacing liquid from the cavity to the centrifugal outer end of the chamber in response to movement of the piston into the cavity,
- (c) a discharge passageway at the centrifugally inner end of the chamber for discharging particle rich liquid in response to injection of displacing liquid into the chamber, and
- (d) means for preventing flow of displacing liquid from the cavity to the chamber before centrifugal stratification of blood cells in the chamber.
The method of separating platelets from a blood sample comprising
- (a) supporting the blood sample in a centrifugal chamber having inner and outer ends,
- (b) subjecting the chamber to an intial centrifugal force of at least a predetermined minimum to stratify red cells in the sample away from the inner end, and
- (c) subjecting the chamber to a second centrifugal force while (1) injecting into the outer end of the chamber from a cavity, a displacing liquid having a volume of between 0.2 and two times the volume of plasma in the sample at a flow rate less than about 1.0 ml. per minute per ml. of the blood sample, and (2) displacing platelet rich plasma from the inner end of the chamber at substantially the same volume and rate with the displacing liquid ejected from the cavity by the second centrifugal force on the blood sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.