Disposable diagnostic plasma filter dispenser

A container for a fluid separation system comprising:

• an outer body defining a first interior area;
• an inner body disposed within the first interior area of the outer body and defining a second interior area including means for providing fluid communication between the second interior area and the first interior area;
• a filter membrane covering the fluid communication means;
• and
• rotor means disposed within the second interior area, the rotor means being operable in response to a driver positioned externally of the container for rotation to induce a vortex enhanced flow of fluid filtrate through the filter.

A fluid filtration container comprising:

• an outer wall having first and second opposite ends;
• an inner body disposed within the outer wall with a channel space being defined between the inner body and outer wall to direct the flow of fluid therein toward an end of the outer wall, the inner body being closed at at least one end to permit the inner body to receive and retain a quantity of fluid to be filtered and having means defining a filter region on a wall thereof for receiving and supporting a membrane filter, the inner body further having a plurality of apertures through the wall in the filter region to provide communication of fluid from the inner body to the channel space;
• a membrane filter disposed adjacent the filter region of the inner body;
• and
• a rotor having an outer wall, the rotor being disposed within the inner body with the outer wall of the rotor providing a gap between the outer wall of the rotor and the filter when the rotor is axially positioned within the inner body, said rotor being composed at least in part of a material which will respond to an external energy field inducing rotation of the rotor.

A device for obtaining plasma from the blood of an individual comprising:

• an hermetically sealed vacuum enclosure having a frangible cover closing an outlet and a penetrable closure for receiving a posterior end of a blood withdrawing needle to introduce blood into the enclosure;
• rotor means disposed within the enclosure and being operative for rotation about a central axis of the rotor means;
• and
• sleeve means within the enclosure disposed about the central axis of the rotor means and establishing a plasma flow path within the enclosure in communication with the outlet, the sleeve means including membrane filter means for separating plasma from blood introduced about the rotor means and conveying the plasma into the plasma flow path.

A system for extraction of a filtrate from a suspension using a disposable device, comprising:

• disposable means defining a vacuum enclosure having a penetrable wall and an outlet, the penetrable wall being adapted to receive a fluid flow tube therethrough whereby the suspension can be drawn into an interior volume within the enclosure;
• sleeve means concentric with a central axis within the enclosure and encompassing the interior volume while defining an outer filtrate passageway to the outlet, the sleeve means including membrane wall means having pores passing the filtrate;
• rotatably and axially movable rotor means disposed within the sleeve means;
• and
• rotor drive means exterior to the enclosure for concurrently rotating and axially shuttling the rotor means relative to the central axis to generate vortices in the suspension and introduce pulsations, such that filtrate from suspension drawn into the interior of the enclosure by the vacuum is filtered through the membrane and passed to the outlet.

An evacuated filtration device for receiving and filtering a liquid, the device comprising:

• a sealed container having a partial vacuum therein and being adapted to utilize a pressure differential created by the partial vacuum to draw the liquid into a central volume within the container;
• an inner support tube disposed within the container and defining a central volume by an inner surface thereof, the inner support tube having an inner side wall that is defined at least in part by a filter and has a cylindrical shape disposed about a central axis on at least an interior side thereof;
• and
• a rotor disposed axle free within the central volume and having at least one side wall defining at least a portion of a cylinder and forming a gap of a selected magnitude between the at least one rotor side wall and the sidewall of the inner support tube, the rotor being free to rotate about the central axis, being positionable in opposed relationship to the filter part of the inner support tube and being physically constrained only by the inner support tube;
• the container and inner support tube defining a channel space between them which provides communication between the filter and a container outlet and the inner support tube being sealed relative to the container to permit passage of fluid from the central volume to the channel space only through the filter.