Method and apparatus for extracorporeal separation of fluorochemicals from whole blood of a patient
AssigneesHemaGen/PFC, Baxter Health Care Corporation
InventorsThomas J. Richard, Donald W. Schoendorfer, Robert J. Kaufman, Thomas H. Goodin
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for practical extracorporeal separation of fluorochemicals from clinically fluorochemical-containing whole blood of a patient. The methods incorporate centrifugal apheresis devices, preferably with low extracorporeal volumes, that provide a means for continuously removing separated fluorochemical-enriched fractions from the centrifuge during processing and return of whole blood-enriched fractions to the patient.
Claims12
A method of extracorporeally removing fluorochemical from fluorochemical-containing whole blood of a patient comprising
- withdrawing a therapeutically acceptable extra-corporeal volume of the fluorochemical-containing whole blood from the patient,
- passing the withdrawn blood through a continuous centrifugal apheresis device for removal of the fluorochemical and return of the blood to the patient at a therapeutically acceptable flow rate,
- centrifugally separating at a therapeutically acceptable spin rate the withdrawn blood in the device into a fluorochemical-enriched fraction and a whole blood-enriched fraction,
- removing the fluorochemical-enriched fraction from the centrifuge device to prevent build up of fluorochemical in the device, and
- returning the whole blood-enriched fraction to the patient wherein said method takes place during one continuous cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.